Panchatantra_clone

CROWS AND OWLS 171 snake's back, hopped after him. To please the frogs, the snake exhibited to them various types of crawling. \"The king of the frogs was delighted and he said, 'I have never had so much pleasure riding an elephant, a horse, a carriage or_ a human being, as by riding this snake ! ' \"Next day, the snake started crawling slowly on purpose. When the king noticed this, he asked him, 'Friend, why aren't you crawling as you usually do?' -'I've had nothing to eat!' replied the snake. 'I'm too weak to crawl properly.' So the frog king replied, 'All right then, you can eat small frogs .' \"When the Sm!.ke heard this, he pretended to be surprised and sald 1_1 'Well, well! This is exactly the second part of the Brahmiii�s curse come true, for he said that I s hould have to live on whatever the frogs were pleased to offer me. Your Majesty, your kindness makes me very happy.' \"After that, the snake began to eat small frogs daily and, in a short time, he became very strong. \"The snake thought to . himself with a smile, 'I have beguiled them enough to allow me to eat the small frogs, but how long will this supply �ast?' \"Jalapada*, the frog king, y.ras so completely taken in by the snake's talk that he did not understand his real motive. \" After a few days, a big black snake came to the same place. He was flabbergasted to see the frogs riding on Mandavishya and he said to him, 'Mandavishya, these frogs are our food ! Why are you carrying them on your back? It is beneath you ! ' -'I d o agree with you ,' said Mandavishya, 'but I am playing it cool and waiting patiently.' And he explained to him everything. \" One day, Mandavishya said with a laugh, 'Eating all these frogs, I have discovered different tastes.' \"And Jalapada, the frog king, hearing this, was dumb-founded and said to the snake, 'My good fellow,

1 72 PANCHATANTRA what kind of talk is that!' \"To cover up his slip, the snake replied, 'Oh, nothing at all.' And then, with his clever talk, he succeeded in putting the frog king at ease. \"In due c_ ourse, the snake started eating even the la�ge.r · frogs and ill the end, he ate the frog king himself a.nd ·· all the frogs were utterly wiped out. -\"And so,\" continued Sthirajeevi, that's why I said, 'A fellow who is cunning, Puts up with hk enemy Even under demanding conditions, Unperturbed, both by honour and insult, · He bides his time, I n order, ultimately, to achieve his objective. Thus, a black snake allowed frogs to ride on his · back · And eventually he ate them all up.' -\"Yout Majesty,just as' through cunning, Mandavishya, ate u p \\. athneniheniltaitreed population of the frogs, in the same· way, I the owls. As they say: 'A forest fire burns down the trees But the roots lie safe underneath; Whilst a cold frosty wind Destroys the very roots.' \" -\"Yes, indeed Tata,\" replied the king. \"But it pleases me most that you have completely uprooted our enemies, the owls. As they say: A small amount of debt unpaid, The last trace of fire left unextinguished, The last trace of sickness uncured after trea- tn1ent, And enemies surviving a battle, All these will rise again and again Unless they are : utterly destroyed.' -\"You have indeed proved your worth, for they say: 'foferior people never begin a task for fear of destruction, Ordinary people give up a task only half-finished because of obstruction,

CROWS AND OWLS But superior people will never give u p anything, However many difficulties may beset them . ' \" -\"You are right, in what you say,\" said Sthirajeevi, \"but, to do it, you need not only bravery but skill as well. The clever . man achieves his ends with maximum attention to detail. As they say: 'Those who look down on insignificant work, Because they think it's too easy, Do it carelessly, And, one day, regret it.' _..:.\".c But, Your Majesty! Now that all our enemies have been d�stroyed, I would advise you to devote yQ.µr attention solely to the welfare of your subjects, for: 'A king who does not protect his subjects, Is as useless as an old goat's hanging neck teat; But, a king who loves virtue, and . hates vices And appreciates good servants, Will enjoy his kingdom for ages.' And, 'A king should not be deceived by tl).e magµificenc¢ of kingship For although it is as difficult to acqmre As to climb up a bamboo, Yet it may vanish in a moment. It is as fidgety as a monkey, As detached as drops of dew on a Lotus leaf, As changeable as the wind, As unreliable as the friendship of the wicked, As transient as the colours in the sky at sunset, And as unstable as water bubbles . ' _,_:�'And so, Your Majesty,\" continued Sthirajeevi, \"know this and rule justly over your kingdom . Then you' will find happiness.'' THE END OF THE THIRD TANTRA



THE FORFEIT OF PROFITS This is the beginning of the fourth tantra called, \"The forfeit of profits\" and here is the first verse: \"A man who does not lose his head, In the face of calamities, Shall overcome them, Just like the monkey in the midst of the sea.\" The story goes like this: On a sea beach, there stood a big Jarnbu* tree, which' bore fruit throughout the year. In the tree, there lived a monkey, by the name of Raktamukha*. One day, a crocodile called Karalamukha*, who lived in a creek, came out and made himself comfortable on the soft sand under the tree. At this, the monkey spoke to him with these . words, \"You are my guest. Please accept this sweet nectareous fruit of the Jambu tree, for: 'All the gods, and his ancestors too, Will turn away their faces, From the man who lets a guest leave his house Sighing and unhonoured .' \" With these words, the monkey gave him the Jambu fruit. When he had devoured it, the crocodile chatted with the monkey for a long time and finally went home. I n this way, sitting under the shade of the Jambu tree, the crocodile and the monkey used to spend their time together, devouring the Jambu fruit and talking pleasantly about various moral tales and so on. After the crocodile had had his fill, he would take home what was left over, for his wife. One day, his wife said to him , \"Darling! Where do you get such sweet nectareous fruit everyday?\" -\"Dearest,\" replied the crocodile, \"I have a bosom friend, a monkey, by the name of Raktamukha, �ho is very affectionate towards me and gives me this fruit.\"

1 76 PANCHATANTRA At this, his wife said, \"Someone who eats this nectareous fruit everyday, must also have a heart as sweet as nectar. Now, if you really love me, bring home his .heart so that I can eat it, thereby escape old age and death, and enjoy life with you.\" . The crocodile replied, \"Darling! Please, please, don't talk like that! I now regard him as my brother and besides, he is J very kind to me and gives me the fruit. So, how can I kill him ? Give up your demand, for they say: 'B rotherhood developed by way of conversation, Is reputed to be far superior II • To brotherho6d that comes fram havi·ng the same mother.' \" -\"So far,\" said the crocodile's wife, \"yo,l,t have never turned · down any of my requests. So, I thi'nk this must be · some female monkey whom you love and spend the whole day with. Now I understand you very well. You don't even speak nicely to me any m9xe.. and� give me what I ask for. At night time, when we are together, your sighs are as hot as a flame of fire, but not for m e ! You don't hug and kiss me as passionately as you used to either. Hyp6crite! I believe some other sweet thing lives in your heart nowadays.'' The crocodile. fell down at her feet in great distress. Then he got up and took her on his lap and, speaking lovingly to her, said, \"Dearest! Why are you getting angry with me, when I fall at your feet like a slave?\" When she heard him say this, the crocodile's wife replied, with tears in her eyes, \"Deceiver! With all your amorous gestures, you are trying to fool me, but some other female lives in your heart. Why make fun of me by falling at my feet! And anyway, if she is not your l?eloved, why can't you kill her, when I tell you to? If, on the other hand, it's a male monkey, how could there be love between you and him? What more is there for me to say. If I don't have that heart, then know for certain that I shall starve myself to death. \"