The Hitopadesa (Penguin Classics) Read online

  (41) Set in gold, a piece of glass

  Can well assume the emerald’s glow.

  Similarly, the perfect ass

  In company wise may learned grow.

  ‘And, it is said,

  (42) The mind, my dear, in intercourse

  With lesser ones will degenerate;

  With equals will not change, of course,

  But improve greatly with the great.’

  Then a great scholar named Viṣṇu Śarma, who knew the essence of all policy like Bṛhaspati himself, spoke up: ‘Your Majesty, I will help these princes to learn policy, as they are from a noble stock, for,

  (43) No action can successful be

  If expended on the unworthy.

  As parakeets the stork cannot

  Be made to speak, however taught.

  ‘And, further,

  (44) A dullard born there cannot be

  In such a noble family.

  How could a piece of glass appear

  In this mine of rubies rare?

  ‘I will therefore make your sons expert in policy within six months.’

  The king responded respectfully:

  (45) ‘Insects cling to flowers fine

  And with them rise to crown’s estate.

  Stones too are honoured as divine

  When set up by the good and great.

  (46) As objects on the hillside glow

  By nearness to the rising sun,

  The lowly glitter even so

  With some good companion.

  (47) Worth is such for those who know it,

  But fault for them who have no merit.

  Fresh river water, a pleasant potion,

  Turns undrinkable irr the ocean.’

  Saying, ‘These sons of mine are therefore at Your Honour’s disposal for instruction in the science of politics’, the king then handed them over to Viṣṇu Śarma with all courtesies.

  Mitralābha

  Gaining Friends

  After the princes were seated comfortably at the rear of the palace, Viṣṇu Śarma said to them by way of an introduction:

  (1) ‘The wise their moments spare will spend

  In intellectual recreation.

  The foolish do that time expend

  In vice, or sleep, or recrimination.

  ‘For the recreation of Your Highnesses, therefore, I will tell you the marvellous tale of the crow, the tortoise and the others.’

  ‘Tell us, sir!’ exclaimed the princes. ‘Listen,’ said Viṣṇu Śarma, ‘now begins Mitralābha or the Gaining of Friends, of which this is the opening verse:

  (2) Lacking means, of money bare,

  But clever, and the best of friends:

  The crow and tortoise, mouse and deer,

  Did speedily attain their ends.’

  ‘How did that happen?’ asked the princes. Viṣṇu Śarma said:

  There is a great silk-cotton tree by the side of the river Godāvari. Birds come there from all directions to roost at night. Once, as night was ending and the Lord of the Lilies1, the Moon, was about to set, a crow named Laghupatanaka or Quickflight woke up and saw a trapper drawing near, like Death personified. Observing him, the crow thought uneasily, ‘The day has begun with an unlucky sight in the morning itself. Who knows what other disagreeable things this portends.’ Deeply agitated, he followed the trapper, for

  (3) Many a difficult situation,

  Boding grief and full of fear,

  Afflicts the fool with no preparation,

  But not those who have taken care.

  Furthermore, and this is a must for all those who seek the pleasures of life:

  (4) Remember, as from bed you rise,

  That mighty dangers lie in wait,

  Like illness, grief, your own demise:

  Today, who knows, which is your fate?

  Meanwhile, the trapper had scattered grains of rice on the ground, spread out his net, and positioned himself in hiding. By and by, the bait was noticed by a king of the pigeons named Ćitragrīva or Spotted Throat, as he came cruising in the sky with his family. ‘How is it possible,’ he told the other pigeons who were tempted by the sight, ‘that rice grains should lie scattered here in this desolate forest? We should first consider this. I do not see any good in it. The lure of this rice will lead us, in all probability, to the same fate as,

  (5) The traveller who, from greed of gold,

  In a muddy mire fell,

  And trapped there by the tiger old,

  Was killed and eaten, sad to tell.’

  ‘How was that?’ asked the pigeons. Their king recounted

  The Traveller and the Tiger

  Once, when I was journeying through the southern forests, I saw an aged tiger by the side of a lake. Freshly bathed, he held some sacred kuśa grass in his paw as he cried out: ‘O travellers, take this bracelet of gold!’

  A traveller passing by was overcome by greed. ‘This can only happen by a stroke of luck,’ he reasoned to himself, ‘but one should avoid actions involving personal risk. For,

  (6) Even if misdeeds show profit,

  The outcome cannot happy be.

  Nectar laced with poison in it

  Can only cause fatality.

  ‘But then, every enterprise for making money is attended by risk. It is said,

  (7) Good results no man can get

  Without the risks of enterprise;

  But if on them he takes a bet,

  And survives, he’ll surely rise.

  So, let me first investigate this matter.’

  ‘Where is your bracelet?’ the traveller then demanded. The tiger stretched out his paw and displayed the ornament. ‘But,’ the traveller questioned him, ‘how can I trust a murderous creature like you?’

  ‘Listen, you wayfarer,’ said the tiger, ‘in the past, when I was young, I was indeed very wicked. I killed many men and cattle at that time. But now my wife and children are dead, and I have no family any more. A holy man instructed me to practice charity and other virtues; in accordance with that advice, I bathe and distribute alms. I have grown old, my fangs and claws have dropped. Why shouldn’t I be trusted? For,

  (8, 9) Rituals holy, sacred study,

  Doing penance, charity,

  Truth, forgiveness, fortitude,

  And not coveting: virtue’s road

  With these eight, the scriptures say

  Is paved to form the righteous way.

  But, of these the first four go

  To often serve an outward show.

  The latter four alone can be

  In someone with true piety.

  ‘As for me, I am now so far removed from worldly desires that I wish to give away this golden bracelet, even though it is on my own arm, to anyone at all. Even so, it is difficult to dispel the slander that every tiger will prey on every man. For,

  (10) (Even though it be absurd,)

  People will follow the herd.

  In matters of religion, they

  Will accept the brahmin’s say,

  Even though a cow he slay,

  Rather than the bawd’s advice

  (No matter good, it smells, of vice).

  ‘I have studied all the scriptures. Listen:

  (11) As to the desert, bringing rain,

  And to the famished, gifts of food,

  So to heal poverty’s pain

  With charity, O prince, is good.

  (12) As your life to you is dear,

  So is his to every creature.

  The good, for all, compassion bear

  By analogy with their own nature.

  (13) Of aye and nay, of pain and pleasure,

  Of what may nice or nasty be,

  Man can get the truest measure

  By making self-analogy.

  ‘And further,

  (14) As dirt, to see the wealth of others;

  And wives of other men, as mothers;

  In creatures all, yourself reflected:

  Who sees thus is the man perfected.


  ‘I can see that you are in a very bad way. I am therefore trying to give you something. As the scriptures say,

  (15) Help the poor, O son of Kunti,

  Do not to lords your money give.

  What good is medicine for the healthy?

  But the sick, by it, may live.

  ‘And, further,

  (16) Given because it should be so done,

  And not for sake of any return,

  To one deserving, on right occasion:

  Such gift is purest, you should learn.

  ‘So have a bath in this lake, and take this bracelet made of gold.’

  Impelled by greed, the traveller believed what the tiger had said. But as soon as he went into the lake to bathe, he got trapped in the mud and was quite unable to escape. ‘Oh! Oh!’ said the tiger, seeing him stuck, ‘You have fallen into the mud-bank. I will pull you out.’ Then, as the traveller was by slow degrees approached and seized by the aged animal, he reflected:

  (17) ‘To quote or not the sacred scripture,

  Of virtue hardly is a sign.

  That depends on basic nature:

  By nature sweet is milk of kine.

  ‘And,

  (18) Vain is indiscriminate action,

  As washing of the elephant vain,2

  As knowledge with no application,

  As jewellery on the maiden plain.

  ‘I did not do well to trust this murderer. It is well said,

  (19) Of clawed and horned creatures,

  Of rivers and men who bear arms,

  One should not trust their natures,

  Nor of kings, or feminine charms.

  ‘Further,

  (20) Judge each thing by its basic nature,

  Less do other qualities matter.

  Surpassing them without exception

  Is innate predisposition.

  ‘Besides,

  (21) Though sporting with the stars in heaven,

  And piercing night with myriad rays,

  The Moon himself, by fate’s decree

  Is swallowed by the Eclipse demon.

  From your brow who can erase

  What’s writ there by your destiny?’

  Thus lamenting, the traveller was killed and devoured by the tiger.

  ‘It is for this reason that I spoke about greed and gold. One should never do anything without due consideration,’ said the king of the pigeons, ‘for,

  (22) The grain well ripened,

  The well-trained ward,

  The wife well disciplined,

  The well-served lord,

  Well considered speech,

  Deeds well understood:

  For long will each

  Give outcomes good.’

  On hearing these words, one pigeon spoke up arrogantly: ‘Ah! what a speech!

  (23) One may heed the words of old men

  When an emergency meeting,

  But thinking thus too long and often

  Will leave no time for even eating.

  ‘For,

  (24) If eating, drinking, everything,

  Is on earth suspected,

  How can then the carrying

  On of life be here expected?

  (25) The folk to constant doubting prone,

  To anger, hate or jealousy,

  Those sullen or dependent grown:

  These six must live in misery.’

  Listening to him, all the pigeons alighted on the ground baited with the rice grains. For,

  (26) Masters of the highest learning,

  Whose doubts have fully been precluded:

  Even they, the erudite and discerning,

  Must suffer when by greed deluded.

  And further,

  (27) From greed are born delusion,

  Desire and chagrin.

  Greed leads to sure destruction;

  It is a cause of sin.

  Furthermore,

  (28) Never was born a deer of gold,

  Yet Rama coveted such a deer.

  The mind, too, weakens, we are told,

  When calamity is drawing near.

  Meanwhile all the pigeons were trapped in the net. They then began to berate the one at whose suggestion they had come down. For,

  (29) In group work do not take the lead,

  Its benefits will be equally shared.

  But if the work does not succeed,

  The one up front is never spared.

  Spotted Throat heard their reproaches. ‘It is not this pigeon’s fault,’ he said, ‘for,

  (30) When misfortunes are on their way,

  Friends too become the cause, they say:

  As when the buffalo calf is bound

  To restrict its liberty,

  Its own mother’s leg is found

  A handy tethering post to be.

  ‘And further,

  (31) A friends is he, who from assault

  Of difficulties will rescue one,

  Not merely skilled in finding fault

  With what should or should not be done.

  ‘To lose your wits at a time of trouble is itself a sign of cowardice. We must be courageous and think of a way out. For,

  (32) Courage in calamity,

  Forgiveness in victory,

  In warfare chivalry,

  Eloquence in assembly,

  Love of reputation,

  To scriptures devotion:

  This is the true nature

  Of men of real stature.

  (33) Not gleeful in prosperity,

  Nor downcast in adversity,

  Steady always in warfare:

  Rarely does a mother bear

  Such a son, from heaven sent

  To be the three worlds’ ornament.

  ‘And further,

  (34) Six faults need avoidance:

  Laziness and somnolence,

  Diffidence and anger,

  Procrastination, languor,

  By those who wish to do well

  In this world material.

  ‘Now this is what we must do. In unison, we should lift up this net and fly away with it. For,

  (35) The weak have successful proven

  When they join together;

  In a rope when grass is woven,

  It can the elephant tether.

  (36) It’s better to stay integrated

  With one’s kin, though they be low.

  Rice, when from its husk separated

  Can never ripe and golden grow.’

  After considering this, the pigeons lifted up the net together and flew away. The trapper saw them carrying it off from a distance, and ran after them, thinking,

  (37) ‘Together these birds fly away

  With my net; as soon as they

  Fall into disunity,

  Then in my power all will be.’

  But he turned back once the birds had passed out of his sight. ‘What should we do now?’ asked the pigeons. Seeing that the trapper had gone. Spotted Throat said:

  (38) ‘By nature friends and parents care

  For one’s benefit and welfare,

  But one must further reasons find

  For others to be so inclined.

  ‘In the ąhitra forest on the banks of the river Gandaki, there lives our friend Hiraṇyaka or Golden, a king of the mice. He will cut this net off us.’

  Reasoning thus, the pigeons proceeded to Golden’s home. The latter always feared the worst and lived in a burrow with hundreds of passages. Terrified at the descent of the birds, he stayed inside, still and silent.

  ‘Comrade Golden,’ Spotted Throat called out, ‘why don’t you answer us?’ Recognizing the voice. Golden came out quickly. ‘How lucky I am!’ he cried, ‘my dear friend Spotted Throat has come here.

  (39) None can be more fortunate

  Than one with opportunity

  At a good friend’s side to be,

  And hold discourses intimate.’

  But he was amazed to see all the birds enmeshed in the net. ‘Comrade, what is this?
’ he asked after a moment. ‘This is the result of our actions in a previous life, my friend,’ said Spotted Throat.

  (40) ‘In strict accordance with one’s action,

  Its nature and methodology,

  The fruit is fated in proportion—

  Good or bad as it may be.

  (41) Bondage, sickness, grief, afflictions,

  Are fruit on trees of one’s own actions.’

  On hearing this. Golden rushed forward to sever Spotted Throat’s bonds. ‘Not in this way, my friend,’ said the king of the pigeons, ‘free these dependents of mine first. Then you may release me.’

  ‘I am not so strong,’ replied Golden, ‘and my teeth are tender. How can I gnaw off the bonds of all these birds? I will remove you from the net if my teeth do not give way. After that I will deal with the others as best as I can.’

  ‘All right,’ Spotted Throat said, ‘but use all your strength to set the others free.’

  ‘Those who understand practical policy,’ observed Golden, ‘do not accept that dependents should be protected even at the cost of one’s own life.

  (42) For troubled times your money guard,

  With all of it protect your wife.

  But wealth and wife, however hard,

  Spare not for saving your own life.

  ‘Further,

  (43) Virtue, pleasure, wealth, deliverance,

  (the well-known fourfold human ends)

  All require life’s existence,

  On its safety all depends.’

  Spotted Throat said, ‘Comrade, practical policy is indeed as you describe it. But I just cannot bear to see my dependents suffer. That is why I said what I did.

  (44) For others should the wise abjure

  Life and wealth, without a pause:

  Their termination is always sure;

  Better so for some good cause.

  ‘There is also a special reason:

  (45) These, my subjects, share with me