The Hitopadesa (Penguin Classics) Page 14

  At the centre these should go,

  With those who have a lesser role

  In the army as a whole.

  (71) On both the wings there ought to be

  Deployment of the cavalry,

  And on either side of horses,

  There should be the chariot forces.

  Next to them the elephants put,

  And then the men who fight on foot.

  (72) The general should bring up the rear

  With councillors and troops select,

  Marching slowly, giving cheer

  To the weary; in effect

  He should, O King, the army serve

  As its backup and reserve.

  (73) Difficult hill or marsh terrain,

  Using elephants one should force;

  With horses that which is more plain;

  With boats ford rivers, and of course

  Every kind of territory

  Can be crossed with infantry.

  (74) To march by elephant, it is said,

  Is best when rains begin to spread.

  In other seasons, use the horse,

  And infantry year-round, of course.

  (75) On mountain roads and passes grim,

  The monarch well-protected keep

  With sturdy soldiers guarding him;

  Still, he should but lightly sleep.

  (76) Harass and destroy the foe

  By strikes through forest territory.

  When you into his country go,

  In front let jungle tribesmen be.

  (77) Wherever may the sovereign be,

  There should be kept his treasury,

  From which his own retainers may

  Be given what is due as pay.

  Men will for paymasters fight,

  But no treasure means no sovereign right.

  ‘For,

  (78) Man is not of man a slave—

  He’s money’s slave, Your Majesty.

  His being great or just a knave

  Comes from wealth or poverty.

  (79) Troops should fight unitedly,

  Guarding one another’s way;

  And infirm soldiers if there be,

  Should in the column’s centre stay.

  (80) In the vanguard of his force,

  The king his ground troops should locate;

  A siege upon his foes enforce,

  Laying waste their land and state.

  (81) One should fight upon a plain

  With chariots and with cavalry;

  With boats and elephants on terrain

  Which is all marsh or watery;

  With the bow in forests, and

  With sword and shield on open land.

  (82) Always spoil the foe’s supply

  Of fodder, food and energy.

  His water tanks destroy, and do

  The same to moats and ramparts too.

  (83) The elephant is the force’s head—

  O King, it has no substitute.

  Its very limbs, it has been said,

  Are weapons eight5 of great repute.

  (84) The horse is every army’s might,

  It’s like a rampart which can move.

  On land that king will win a fight

  Whose cavalry does better prove.

  ‘And, as it is said,

  (85) Equestrian fighters, in a war,

  Even the gods find hard to beat.

  Enemies, though still distant, for

  Them are as if at their feet.

  (86) It’s said to be infantry’s role

  To guard the army as a whole,

  To keep the roads on all sides free,

  And in attack the first to be.

  (87) That force is said to be the best,

  Whose valour is by nature blest,

  Whose men are skilled in weaponry,

  Forever firm in loyalty,

  With endurance built to last,

  And mainly from the warrior caste.

  (88) As men on earth will fight for fame

  And honour from their master sought,

  O King, they never do the same

  For money only, though a lot.

  (89) Better have a smaller force

  Formed of men of quality,

  Than muster up a great concourse

  Of as many heads as there can be.

  For, if the weak do break in war,

  The strong will break with them, it’s sure.

  (90) Not awarding honours due,

  And removing leaders true,

  Confiscations from the pay,

  Lack of redress, and delay—

  This can be the leading source

  Of disaffection in a force.

  (91) The troops of one’s adversary

  Can be destroyed easily

  When they have been tired out

  By marches long and roundabout.

  But one who seeks a victory

  Should attack the enemy

  While ensuring that his own

  Forces have not weary grown.

  (92) To disunite the enemy

  There is no better strategy

  Than to use one of his kin.

  Therefore put all efforts in

  Setting up against the foe

  A rival claimant from below.

  (93) A clear-headed invader must

  Promote internal lack of trust,

  Allying with his enemy’s heir,

  Or the chief minister there.

  (94) War-like allies of the foe

  Should be extirpated so:

  By destruction in a war,

  By seizing of their cattle, or

  By taking action to detain

  Their officers and servants main.

  (95) The king his lands should colonize

  With settlers brought in from outside

  By force, or with some gift or prize—

  For settled land does wealth provide.’

  ‘Why talk so much?’ said the king, ‘for,

  (96) One’s own rise, the other’s fall:

  All policy is in essence

  These two ends, which experts all

  Admit despite their eloquence.’

  ‘All this is true,’ the minister replied with a smile, ‘but,

  (97) Power which is arbitrary,

  And that which law and scriptures guide,

  To each other are contrary

  And cannot in one place reside.

  Where can one for instance see

  A place both dark and light to be?’

  The king then arose to march out at the auspicious hour proposed by the soothsayers.

  Meanwhile the messenger despatched by Goldegg’s spy also returned, saying, ‘Sire, King Dapple is almost here. He is now encamped with his army on the plateau of the Malaya mountain. Our fort needs to be kept under constant surveillance, for that vulture is a formidable minister. I have come to know of his confidential talk with someone about his secret plan. According to it some person has already been placed by him inside our fort.’

  The goose said, ‘Sire, this can only be the crow.’

  ‘Never!’ said the king, ‘If that were so, why should he have tried to have the parrot punished? Moreover, he has been here for a while, and it is only after the parrot left that we have started anticipating war.’

  ‘Nevertheless strangers have to be suspected,’ the minister said. ‘Sometimes even strangers turn out to be helpful,’ the king replied. ‘Listen,

  (98) One who helps you is your brother,

  Though a stranger he may be.

  And one who harms is just another,

  Though he share fraternity.

  Born of your own body’s frame,

  Illness hurts you all the same,

  While healing herbs will benefits show,

  Though they in distant forests grow.

  ‘Furthermore

  (99) In King Śūdraka’s retinue

  Was Vīravara, a servant who

  Within n
o time, while he was there,

  Sacrificed his son and heir.’

  ‘How did that happen?’ asked the goose. The king narrated

  The Faithful Servant

  ‘There was a time when I was in love with Karpūra Manjarī, the daughter of the royal swan Karpūrakeli, who lived at the pleasure lake of King Śūdraka. Once a prince named Vīravara came their from another country. Going up to the palace gate, he told the gate-keeper, “I am a prince and I am looking for employment. Let me meet the king.”

  When he was taken to the king, he said, “Sire, should you need me as a servant, please arrange for my wages.”

  “How much will they be?” Śūdraka asked. “Four hundred pieces of gold every day,” replied Vīravara.

  “And what do you offer?” asked the king. “My two arms,” Vīravara responded, “and thirdly, my sword.” “This will not do,” said the king. On hearing this Vīravara bowed and withdrew.

  The ministers then told the king, “Sire, employ him at this wage for four days. This will enable us to judge his worth and if his qualities deserve such a remuneration or not.” In accordance with this advice he recalled Vīravara, and gave him four hundred golden pieces together with a betel leaf in token of his appointment.

  The king kept secret watch on how Vīravara spent the money. Half of it the new servant gave for the gods and the priests. Of the remainder, he gave half to the poor, and spent the rest on articles of consumption or on amusements. Apait from this daily routine, he attended night and day at the palace gate, his sword in his hand. He would go home only when the king himself ordered it.

  Once it was a dark and moonless night. King Śūdraka heard the sound of a piteous weeping. “Is there anyone at the door?” he cried. “Sire, it is I, Vīravara,” came the reply. “Find out what this weeping is about,” ordered the king. “As you command, sire,” said Vīravara, and he marched out.

  “This is not proper,” thought the king, “I have sent that prince out alone into the pitch-black darkness. I should follow him to see what this is.” And he too picked up a sword and followed the other man out of the city.

  Going ahead, Vīravara at last saw a woman weeping. She was young and beautiful, and adorned with all kinds of ornaments. “Who are you,” he asked her, “why are you weeping?”

  “I am the Sovereignty of this King Śūdraka,” the woman said. “I have rested for long in great comfort under the shadow of his arms. But now I must go elsewhere.”

  “When there is a problem there must also be a solution,” said Vīravara. “What should be done so that Your Ladyship continues to reside here?”

  “Your son Śaktidhara bears the thirty-two auspicious marks on his body,” said Sovereignty, “if you will sacrifice him to the goddess Sarvamangalā then I can continue to live here for long.” Having uttered these words, she disappeared.

  Vīravara then went home and woke up his sleeping wife and son. After they had got up and taken their seats, he told them all that Sovereignty had said. Having heard it, Śaktidhara said happily, “I am blessed indeed that I can be of service for safeguarding the dominion of our master. Father, what is now the need for delay? The utilization of this body, for this purpose and in this manner, is always esteemed. For,

  (100) For others sake, a person wise

  Will life and money sacrifice.

  Its better to renounce them for

  A good cause when their end is sure.”

  “If this is not done,” added Śaktidhara’s mother, “then how else will you give return for this enormous salary?”

  After deliberating upon this they all proceeded to the temple of Sarvamangalā. There Vīravara prayed to the deity, and said, “O goddess, be gracious! May the great King Śūdraka always be victorious! Accept this offering!” And, with these words, he cut off his son’s head.

  Vīravara then said to himself, “The wages I took from the king have now been repaid. But my life will be a mockery without my son.” Thinking thus; he cut off his own head also. His wife, distraught with grief for her husband and her son, followed suit.

  The king had been a witness to all this. Full of wonder, he said to himself,

  (101) “Petty creatures such as I

  Merely live and merely die.

  One such as him was never seen

  Nor will be on this earthly scene.

  “My kingdom too is useless now that he has passed away from it.” Then Śūdraka also drew his sword to decapitate himself. At that moment the goddess Sarvamangalā herself appeared and held back the king’s hand. “My son,” she said, “I am pleased with you. Do not be so impetuous. Nothing will happen to your kingdom even after your life ends.”

  The king prostrated himself in the eightfold7 obeisance. “Goddess!” he cried, “what is the use of my kingdom or even of my life? If I deserve your compassion, then, with whatever remains of the life span ordained for me, let Vīravara live again with his spouse and his son. Otherwise let me follow my destiny.”

  “My son, I am entirely satisfied by your magnanimity and your love for your servants. Go and prosper. This prince and his family will also live again.” With these words, the goddess vanished. Vīravara, his son and his spouse were restored to life, and went home. Unobserved by them, the king also returned to the inner apartment of the palace and went to bed.

  Later, when Vīravara was back at the gate, he was again questioned by the king. “Sire,” he said, “the woman who was weeping vanished on seeing me. Nothing else happened at all.” The king was content on hearing these words. But he marvelled and said to himself. “How praiseworthy is this great personage! For,

  (102) Rich, he always sweetly speaks;

  Brave, he does not ever boast;

  Strong but tender, and he seeks

  To give where it is needed most.

  “These are the signs of a great man, and he has them all.”

  The next morning the king held an assembly of his nobles, narrated all that had happened, and rewarded Vīravara with the kingdom of Karṇṭāṭa.

  ‘So how can someone be considered a villain just because he is a stranger?’ said the swan king. ‘Among strangers too there are the good, the bad, and the indifferent.’ The goose responded,

  (103) ‘In keeping with his sovereign’s whim,

  One who will commend to him

  Something which he should not do

  As a course of action true—

  Is that a minister good?

  Far better that the master should

  Be displeased, than be destroyed

  By doing what he should avoid.

  (104) When physicians and priests of kings

  Tell them only pleasant things,

  Their health and virtue soon will be

  Lost; so too their treasury.

  If their ministers also tell

  Only what may please them well.

  ‘Listen, sire,

  (105) “What someone got by religious merit,

  I must also try to get it.”

  Thinking thus, the barber, who

  Sought wealth and was greedy too,

  Killed a mendicant for one,

  And then himself to death was done.’

  ‘How did that happen?’ asked the king. The minister narrated

  The Greedy Barber

  In the city of Ayodhya there was a man of the warrior caste named ṭūḍamaṇi. He wanted to acquire wealth and, inflicting many tortures upon himself, he prayed for a long time to the god who wears the crescent moon as a crest jewel. After his sins had been cleansed, at the god’s command, the lord of the Yakshas8 appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘This morning, after you have shaved, take a cudgel in your hand and hide besides the door of your house. Then, whichever mendicant you see coming into the courtyard, hit him mercilessly with the cudgel. The mendicant will turn into a pot full of gold at that very moment, and with that treasure you can live happily for the rest of your life.’

  Ćūḍamaṇi did as he had been told, wit
h results as had been predicted. All this was witnessed by the barber who had been called to shave him. ‘Here is a fine method for getting hold of a treasure,’ said the barber to himself. ‘Why should I not do the same?’

  From then onwards, the barber would stand similarly, hidden with a cudgel in his hand, awaiting the arrival of a mendicant. Eventually one appeared, and the barber struck him so hard that he died. The king’s officers punished the barber for this crime, and he too lost his life.

  ‘That is why I mentioned getting something which can only be had by religious merit,’ said the minister. The king observed:

  (106) ‘How can one a stranger know,

  Just by tales of actions past,

  Whether he’ll true friendship show,

  Or a traitor turn at last?

  ‘But let that be. Let us attend to what is before us. If Dapple is on the Malaya plateau, what should now be done?’

  ‘Sire,’ said the minister, ‘I have learnt from the spy who has returned that Dapple has shown no respect for the advice of his great minister, the vulture. He can, as such, be defeated, for he is a fool. As it is said:

  (107) Greedy, cruel, careless too,

  Unstable, timid, and untrue,

  A fool, who’s lazy, and will not

  Respect his soldiers as he ought—

  It’s said that such an enemy

  Can be vanquished easily.

  ‘Therefore let the stork and our other generals be ordered to destroy his forces on the river, mountain and forest roads before he can besiege our fort, As it is said:

  (108) With long marches worn and tired,

  In rivers, hills or forests mired,

  By fear of conflagrations pressed,

  By hunger and by thirst distressed;

  (109) A mob, with numbers on the wane,

  Disorganized by storm and rain,

  Stressed by famine and disease,

  Or careless, caught in festivities;

  (110) Stuck in water, mud or sands,

  Scattered, chased by robber bands;

  When the enemy force is so—

  For a kill the king should go.