The Hitopadesa (Penguin Classics) Read online
Page 15
‘Further,
(111) He should keep the foe awake
By fear of sorties he will make,
And when the soldiers doze by day,
Those sleepy heads the king should slay.
‘So let our commanders go whenever there is an opportunity, night or day, and destroy the forces of that blunderer.’
This was done, and many of Dapple’s generals and soldiers perished. A dejected Dapple then said to his minister, Farsighted, ‘Why are you neglecting me, Father? Has there been any lapse my part? As it is said,
(112) Just because of sovereignty,
One should not be arrogant.
Such conduct ends prosperity,
Like age does beauty excellent.
‘Further,
(113) Able men do wealth obtain,
Light eaters their health regain,
Healthy people happy stay,
The diligent master learning’s way,
And those with tact and courtesy
Earn merit, fame and prosperity.’
‘Listen, sire,’ the vulture replied,
(114) Just as trees which grow beside
And flourish by the waterside,
So too, monarchs who have not
Any wit or learning got,
Still can win prosperity
By always keeping company
With those who have matured with time
To wisdom ripe and most sublime.
(115) Wine and women, games of chance,
Hunting and extravagance,
Words and deeds of cruelty—
Vices are of royalty.
(116) The greatest gains will not be won
By deeds of daring rashly done,
Nor by minds which continue
To ponder over what to do.
But success there is bound to be
In prudence joined to bravery.
‘After observing the enthusiasm of your army, you concentrated only on acts of daring. You used strong language, and paid no attention to the advice which even I had submitted. You therefore see the results of wrong policy. As it is said:
(117) Who does not, with advice bad,
Have problems in his policies?
Unwholesome diet who has had,
And not suffered some fell disease?
Whom does not wealth make arrogant?
Whom does not death destroy?
Whoever can escape torment
From the wiles women employ?
‘Furthermore,
(118) Sorrow does all joy negate;
The first snowfall, autumnal beauty;
The shining sun, the nighf s dark state;
Ingratitude, the virtuous duty;
Gaining something cherished, gloom;
Wise policies, calamity;
And wrong conduct does spell the doom
Of even great prosperity.
‘Then I too told myself that this king has no discrimination. Else why should he let the dear moonlight of policy precepts be obscured by verbal fireworks? For,
(119) What can learning do for man
When he lacks intelligence?
It is as if a mirror can
To someone blind make any sense.
‘That is why I too kept silent.’
The king then clasped his hands together and said: ‘I was at fault, Father. Please forgive me, and now advise as to how I may extricate the remainder of my army and go back to the Vindhyā mountain.’
‘I must respond to this,’ the vulture said to himself, ‘for,
(120) In all dealings with royalty,
With the gods and one’s guru,
With children and the elderly,
With holy cows and clerics too,
And with those to sickness prey—
Anger should be kept at bay.’
He then smiled and told the king, ‘Sire, have no fear. Be assured. Listen,
(121) The minister’s mind and quality
It seen when projects go askew,
As the physician’s you may see
When maladies descend on you.
Who can skill and wisdom tell
When everything is going well?
‘Furthermore,
(122) The little efforts small minds make
Fluster them exceedingly.
Great tasks the resolute undertake
And pursue them with constancy.
‘With just Your Majesty’s grace, therefore, I will storm the enemy’s fortress and soon take you back to the Vindhya mountain with all power and glory.’
‘How can this be done now, with our depleted force?’ asked the king.
‘Everything will be done, sire,’ said the vulture. Tor one who seeks victory, prompt action is a sure guarantee of success. Therefore let the fortress gate be invested straightaway.’
Meanwhile the crane sent out to spy returned and told Goldegg, ‘Sire, though King Dapple has only a small force, he has come forward on the strength of the vulture’s advice, and is about to invest the gate of our fort.’
‘What should be done now, Knowall?’ asked the swan king. The goose said, ‘Let a determination be made of the strong and the weak people in our force. After ascertaining this, let gifts of gold, garments and the like be distributed in accordance with merit. For,
(123) One who even guards a cent
From ever being wrongly spent,
As if a hoard of gold it were;
But will spending millions dare
When circumstances so demand,
And do it with an open hand—
The goddess of prosperity
Will never leave one such as he.
‘Further,
(124) On these eight, there is no such thing
As overspending, O Great King:
Weddings, and fire ceremonies;
Weakening one’s enemies;
Times of some calamity;
Acts to win celebrity;
The gaining of a loyal friend;
Or a woman one loves no end;
And welfare of one’s kin and kith
Who have naught to subsist with.
‘For,
(125) Fearing but a small expense,
The fool forsakes the greater prize.
Will a man with any sense
Give up all his merchandise
Out of an excessive care
For the tax that he must bear?’
‘How can a large expenditure be proper at this time?’ the king asked. ‘It is said:
(126) “Save money for some difficulty.” ’
‘How can one for kings there be?’ the minister
responded.
‘For money goeth here and there,’ the king continued.
‘Though hoarded, it will disappear,’ the minister
concluded.
‘Therefore, sire, give up this parsimony and let your able warriors be rewarded with gifts and honours. As it is said,
(127) With zeal and camaraderie rife,
Pledged full and firm to give up life—
If treated well, these noble men
Will vanquish every enemy then.
‘Furthermore,
(128) Even five times hundred bold
Warriors, made in merit’s mould,
Resolute, united in their role,
Can rout an enemy army whole.
‘What’s more.
(129) Eminent men of noble station,
No less than those of common state,
Shun him who has no discrimination,
Is brusque and selfish, an ingrate.
‘For,
(130) Truth and valour, mercy and
Munificence with open hand:
Of any king or ruler these
Are the chiefest qualities.
One without them will obtain
Only censure in his reign.
‘It is necessary, moreover, that the ministers themselves be rewarded on such an occasion. As it has been said,
(131) One whose rise and fall is bound
With yours, who has been trusty found:
Such a one should be assigned
Your person and your wealth to mind.
‘For,
(132) If the king’s ministers be
Rogues, or women, or too young,
By winds of faulty policy
He will be so tossed and flung,
That he will drown with all his cares
In the sea of state affairs.
‘Listen, sire,
(133) To him the earth yields wealth for sure,
Whose joy and wrath are circumspect,
Who has full faith in holy law,
And treats his servants with respect.
(134) Never should the king despise
His ministers, for it’s known
That their fortunes fall or rise
For certain with his very own.
‘For,
(135) A king gone blind with vanity
Who falls into the fearful sea
Of the problems of his land,
Will always find a helping hand
In such actions as depend
On an aide who is a friend.’
Meanwhile Cloudcolour the crow had come forward. ‘Your attention, sire,’ he said, saluting. ‘The enemy is at the fortress gate, seeking battle. With Your Majesty’s permission I shall march out and demonstrate my valour. In this way I will also be able to repay the debt I owe to Your Majesty.’
‘Not like this!’ said the goose. ‘If one has to go out and fight, the protection afforded by the fort itself becomes pointless. Furthermore,
(136) The alligator does one scare,
But, outside its watery lair,
Even it can be controlled.
And the lion too, so bold,
When outside its jungle home,
Like a jackal does become.
‘Sire, you should go yourself and see the battle. For,
(137) Putting his soldiers to the fore,
The king should oversee them in war.
When by their own master led,
Even dogs like lions tread.’
Then they all went to the gate of the fortress and made a mighty battle.
On the following day King Dapple said to the vulture, ‘Father, it is now time that you fulfilled your promise.’
‘Sire,’ replied the vulture, ‘first listen,
(138) These in a fort are said to be
The points of vulnerability:
If it be small or insecure,
Or lacks the will to long endure,
Or be by timid soldiers manned,
With fools or scoundrels in command.
‘But none of these conditions obtain in this case.
(139) Still, it is said that there are four
Methods to take a fort in war:
A secret deal, a long blockade,
Great valour, and an escalade.
‘And I will make an effort as best as possible in this direction,’ the vulture whispered into the king’s ear. ‘It will be thus…’
Then, as the battle commenced at all the four gates of the fort even before sunrise, the crows simultaneously set fire to the houses inside: There were shouts that the fort had been taken. Hearing the tumult, and seeing many houses actually ablaze with fire, the swan king’s soldiers and other inhabitants of the fort quickly jumped into the lake. For,
(140) Be it counsel, heroic feat,
Swift attack or quick retreat,
When the time is ripe, one ought
To act, not stay immersed in thought.
Goldegg the swan king was easy-going by nature. As he proceeded slowly, accompanied by the stork, he was attacked by Dapple’s general, the rooster. ‘General Stork!’ he cried out to his companion, ‘do not get yourself killed for my sake. You can still escape. Go and jump into the water and save yourself. Make my son Ćudamaṇi, that is Crestjewel, the king after consulting Knowall.’
‘Sire! You must not utter such unbearable words!’ the stork replied. ‘May you stay victorious as long as the sun and the moon stay in the sky. Sire, I am the keeper of this fort. The enemy will come through its gate only over my dead body. Furthermore, sire,
(141) Patient, kind, on merit set:
Such masters are hard to get.’
‘That is indeed true,’ said the king, ‘but,
Honest, skilled, of loyal mind:
Such servants too are hard to find.’
‘Hear me further, sire,’ the stork continued.
(142) ‘If, by running away from war,
The fear of death would be no more,
It would then be proper to
Leave from here for some place new.
But, death being a certain feature
On earth for every living creature,
Why should we, in this situation,
Spoil in vain our fair reputation?
‘Further,
(143) Like foam upon a wave wind-tossed,
Life does but for a moment last.
If it is for others lost,
It’s only due to merits past.
(144) The king, the minister, and the land,
Fortress, treasury, army, and
Allies, subjects, citizenry—
A kingdom’s limbs are said to be.
‘You are our master, sire, and you must be protected in every way. For,
(145) Subjects of their lord deprived,
Though prosperous, have not survived.
Can physicians, though from heaven sent,
Do anything when life is spent?
‘Furthermore,
(146) People bloom when their kings shine,
And fade with sovereigns in decline—
It’s like the lotus and the sun,
When morning comes or day is done.’
Meanwhile the rooster had come forward and struck the swan king hard with his sharp claws. The stork advanced swiftly, and covered the king with his own body. Battered by blows from the rooster’s beak and claws, he kept the king covered with his own limbs, and pushed him into the water. Finally, he killed the rooster with a blow of his beak, but was himself surrounded by many others and slain.
Thereafter King Dapple entered the fortress and had the treasures inside it taken away. Delighted by the victory chants of his bards, he then returned to his own camp.
The princes said, ‘The stork was the only one with merit in that king’s army. He protected his master at the cost of his own life. It has been said:
(147) Most calves which mother cows deliver,
Are just plain cattle, that is all.
Seldom one turns out, if ever,
With horns that sweep its shoulders tall—
Not a common beast, recurred,
But a leader of the herd.’
Viṣṇu Śarma said, ‘May that noble one experience the joys of heaven with celestial nymphs as his attendants. It is said,
(148) The brave who give their lives in war
For their master’s enterprise,
Loyal and grateful: it is sure
Such men will go to paradise.
(149) Wherever does the warrior fall,
When encircled by the foe,
And shows no cowardice at all,
Straight to heaven he will go.
‘Your Highnesses have now heard the topic of war.’
‘We have heard it,’ said the princes, ‘and we are very pleased.’
‘May this happen also,’ Viṣṇu Śarma concluded,
(150) ‘May kings never wage a war
With elephant, horse and infantry.
May their enemies evermore,
By winds of proper policy,
To mountain caves be swept aside,
There to take refuge and hide.’
Sandhi
Peace
It was time to resume the discourse. ‘Noble sir,’ said the princes, ‘we have learnt about war. Tell us now about peace.’
(1) When the two kings fought a war,
And their armies were no more,
Then the vulture and the goose
Neither did a moment lose,
But, through talks mediatory,
Had peace concluded speedily.’
‘How did that happen?’ the princes asked. Viṣṇu Śarma continued his narrative.
‘Who set fire to our fort?’ asked the swan king. ‘Was it done by the enemy, or by someone living in the fort who was instigated by the other side?’
‘Sire,’ the goose replied, ‘Your Majesty’s sudden well-wisher Cloudcolour has disappeared with his retinue. So I believe that this must have been his work.’
The king thought for some time, and said, ‘That was indeed my bad luck, As it is said:
(2) Ministers are not to blame,
It is the fault of destiny.
A work well planned will all the same
Fail, if fated so to be.’
‘This too is said,’ observed the minster,
(3) ‘When struck by some adversity,
A person blames his destiny,
But the fool does not realize,
The fault in his own action lies.
‘Furthermore,
(4) One who does not gladly heed
The words of friends who wish him well,
That fool ends as did indeed
The tortoise who from his perch fell.’
‘How did that happen?’ the king asked. The minister narrated
The Foolish Tortoise
There is a lake called Phullotpala in the land of Magadha. Two swans named Sankata or Narrow and Vikata or Broad had lived there since long. Their friend, a tortoise named Kambugriva or Shellneck also lived their.
Once some fishermen came to the lake and said, ‘We will stay here today, and catch the fish, the tortoises and the others in the morning.’ On hearing this the tortoise told the swans, ‘Friends, you heard what the fishermen were saying. What should I do now?’
The Hitopadesa (Penguin Classics)