The Loss of Friends
[The frametale for Book I of the Panchatantra.]
The first verse runs:
The forest lion and the bull
Were linked in friendship, growing, full;
A jackal then estranged the friends
For greedy and malicious ends.
And this is how it happened.
In this city lived a merchant named Increase. He possessed a heap of numerous virtues, and a heap of money, a result of the accumulation of merit in earlier lives.
As he once pondered in the dead of night, his conclusions took this form: "Even an abundant store of wealth, if pecked at, sinks together like a pile of soot. A very little, if added to, grows like an ant-hill. Hence, even though money be abundant, it should be increased. Riches unearned should be earned. What is earned, should be guarded. What is guarded, should be enlarged and heedfully invested. Money, even if hoarded in commonplace fashion, is likely to go in a flash, the hindrances being many. Money unemployed when opportunities arise, is the same as money unpossessed. Therefore, money once acquired should be guarded, increased, employed. As the proverb says:
"Release the money you have earned;
So keep it safely still:
The surplus water of a tank
Must find a way to spill.
"Wild elephants are caught by tame;
With capital it is the same:
In business, beggars have no scope
Whose stock-in-trade is empty hope.
"If any fail to use his fate
For joy in this or future state,
His riches serve as foolish fetters;
He simply keeps them for his betters."
Having thus set his mind in order, he collected merchandise bound for the city of Mathura, assembled his servants and, after saying farewell to his parents when asterism and lunar station were auspicious, set forth from the city, with his people following and with blare of conch-shell and beat of drum preceding. At the first water he bade his friends turn back, while he proceeded.
To bear the yoke he had two bulls of good omen. Their names were Joyful and Lively; they looked like white clouds, and their chests were girded with golden bells.
Presently he reached a forest lovely with grisleas, acacias, dhaks, and sals, densely planted with other trees of charming aspect; fearsome with elephants, wild oxen, buffaloes, deer, grunting-cows, boars, tigers, leopards, and bears; abounding in water that issued from the flanks of mountains; rich in caves and thickets.
Here the bull Lively was overcome, partly by the excessive weight of the wagon, partly because one foot sank helpless where far-flung water from cascades made a muddy spot. At this spot the bull somehow snapped the yoke and sank in a heap.
When the driver saw that he was down, he jumped excitedly from the wagon, ran to the merchant not far away and, humbly bowing, said: "Oh, my lord! Lively was wearied by the trip and sank in the mud."
On hearing this, merchant Increase was deeply dejected. He halted for five nights, but when the poor bull did not return to health, he left caretakers with a supply of fodder and said: "You must join me later, bringing Lively, if he lives; if he dies, after performing the last sad rites." Having given these directions, he started for his destination.
On the next day, the men, fearing the many drawbacks of the forest, started also and made a false report to their master. "Poor Lively died," they said, "and we performed the last sad rites with fire and everything else."
And the merchant, feeling grieved for a mere moment, out of gratitude performed a ceremony that included rites for the departed, then journeyed without hindrance to Mathura.
In the meantime, Lively, since his fate willed it and further life was predestined, hobbled step by step to the bank of the Jumna, his body invigorated by a mist of spray from the cascades. There he browsed on the emerald tips of grass-blades, and in a few days grew plump as Shiva's bull, high-humped, and full of energy. Every day he tore the tops of anthills with goring horns, and frisked like an elephant.
Now the divisions of the Circle of Four are given as:
(1) the lion,
(2) the lion's guard,
(3) the understrappers,
(4) the menials.
In all cities, capitals, towns, hamlets, market-centres, settlements, border posts, land-grants, monasteries, and communities there is just one occupant of the lion's post. Relatively few are active as the lion's guard. The understrappers are the indiscriminate throng. The menials are posted on the outskirts. The three classes are each divided into members high, middle, and low.
Now Rusty, with counsellors and intimates, enjoyed a kingship of the following order. His royal office, though lacking the pomp of umbrella, flyflap, fan, vehicle, and amorous display, was held erect by sheer pride in the sentiment of unaffected pluck. It showed unbroken haughtiness and abounding self-esteem. It manifested a native zeal for unchecked power that brooked no rival. It was ignorant of cringing speech, which it delegated to those who like that sort of thing. It functioned by means of impatience, wrath, haste, and hauteur. Its manly goal was fearlessness, disdaining fawning, strange to obsequiousness, unalarmed.
It made use of no wheedling artifices, but glittered in its reliance on enterprise, valour, dignity. It was independent, unattached, free from selfish worry. It advertised the reward of manliness by its pleasure in benefiting others. It was unconquered, free from constraint and meanness, while it had no thought of elaborating defensive works.
It kept no account of revenue and expenditure. It knew no deviousness nor time-serving, but was prickly with the energy earned by loftiness of spirit. It wasted no deliberation on the conventional six expedients, nor did it hoard weapons or jewellery. It had an uncommon appetite for power, never adopted subterfuges, was never an object of suspicion. It paid no heed to wives or ambush-layers, to their torrents of tears or their squeals. It was without reproach.
It had no artificial training in the use of weapons, but it did not disappoint expectations. It found satisfactory food and shelter without dependence on servants. It had no timidity about any foreign forest, and no alarms. Its head was high.
As the proverb says:
The lion needs, in forest station,
No trappings and no education,
But lonely power and pride,
And all the song his subjects sing,
Is in the words: "O King! O King!"
No epithet beside.
And again:
The lion needs, for his appointing,
No ceremony, no anointing;
His deeds of heroism bring
Him fortune. Nature crowns him king.
The elephant is the lion's meat,
With drops of trickling ichor sweet;
Though lack thereof should come to pass,
The lion does not nibble grass.
These two conferred secretly, and Victor said: "My dear Cheek, just look at our master Rusty. He came this way for water. For what reason does he crouch here so disconsolate?"
Why meddle, my dear fellow?" said Cheek. "There is a saying:
"Death pursues the meddling flunkey:
Note the wedge-extracting monkey."
"How was that?" asked Victor.
And Cheek told the story of The Wedge-Pulling Monkey.*
(from Directorium Humanae Vitae, 1484)
"And that is why I say that meddling should be avoided by the intelligent. And you know," he continued, "that we two pick up a fair living just from his leavings."
"But," said Victor, "how can you give first-rate service merely from a desire for food with no desire for distinction? There is wisdom in the saying:
"In hurting foes and helping friends
The wise perceive the proper ends
Of serving kings. The belly's call
To answer, is no job at all.
"And again:
"When many lives on one depend,
Then life is life indeed:
A crow, with beak equipped, can fill
His belly's selfish need.
"If loving kindness be not shown
To friends and souls in pain,
To teachers, servants, and one's self,
What use in life, what gain?
A crow will live for many years
And eat the offered grain.
"A dog is quite contented if
He gets a meatless bone,
A dirty thing with gristle-strings
And marrow-fat alone -
And not enough of it at that
To still his belly's moan.
"The lion scorns the jackal, though
Between his paws, to smite
The elephant. For everyone,
However sad his plight,
Demands the recompense that he
Esteems his native right.
"Dogs wag their tails and fawn and roll,
Bare mouth and belly, at your feet:
Bull-elephants show self-esteem,
Demand much coaxing ere they eat.
"A tiny rill
Is quick to fill,
And quick a mouse's paws;
So seedy men
Are grateful, when
There is but little cause.
"For if there be no mind
Debating good and ill,
And if religion send
No challenge to the will,
If only greed be there
For some material feast,
How draw a line between
The man-beast and the beast?
"Or more accurately yet:
Since cattle draw the plough
Through rough and level soil,
And bend their patient necks
To heavy wagons' toil,
Are kind, of sinless birth,
And find in grass a feast,
How can they be compared
With any human beast?"
"But at present,“ said Cheek, "we two hold no job at court. So why meddle?"
"My dear fellow," said Victor, "after a little the jobless man does hold a job. As the saying goes:
"The jobless man is hired
For careful serving;
The holder may be fired,
If undeserving.
"No character moves up or down
At others' smile or others' frown,
But honour or contempt on earth
Will follow conduct's inner worth.
"And once more:
"It costs an effort still
To carry stones uphill;
They tumble in a trice:
So virtue, and so vice."
"Well," said Cheek, "what do you wish to imply?"
And Victor answered: "You see, our master is frightened, his servants are frightened, and he does not know what to do."
"How can you be sure of that?" asked Cheek.
And Victor said: "Isn't it plain?
"An ox can understand, of course,
The spoken word; a driven horse
Or elephant, exerts his force,
But men of wisdom can infer
Unuttered thought from features' stir -
For wit rewards its worshiper.
"And again:
"From feature, gesture, gait,
From twitch, or word,
From change in eye or face
Is thought inferred.
"So by virtue of native intelligence I intend to get him into my power this very day."
"Why," said Cheek, "you do not know how to make yourself useful to a superior. So tell me. How can you establish power over him?"
"And why, my good fellow, do I not know how to make myself useful?" said Victor. "The saintly poet Vyasa has sung the entry of the Pandu princes into Virata's court. From his poem I learned the whole duty of a functionary. You have heard the proverb:
"No burden enervates the strong;
To enterprise no road is long;
The well-informed all countries range;
To flatterers no man is strange."
But Cheek objected: "He might perhaps despise you for forcing yourself into a position that does not belong to you."
"Yes," said Victor, "there is point in that. However, I am also a judge of occasions. And there are rules, as follows:
"The Lord of Learning, speaking to
A false occasion,
Will meet with hatred, and of course
Lack all persuasion.
"And again:
"The favourite's business comes to be
A sudden source of king's ennui,
When he is thoughtful, trying scents,
Retiring, or in conference.
"And once again:
"On hours of talk or squabbling rude,
Of physic, barber, flirting, food,
A gentleman does not intrude.
"Let everyone be cautious
In palaces of kings;
And let not students rummage
In their professor's things:
For naughty meddlers suffer
Destruction swift and sure,
Like evening candles, lighted
In houses of the poor.
"Or put it this way:
"On entering a palace,
Adjust a modest dress;
Go slowly, bowing lowly
In timely humbleness,
And sound the kingly temper,
And kingly whims no less.
"Or this way:
Though ignorant and common,
Unworth the honouring,
Men win to royal favour
By standing near the king:
For kings and vines and maidens
To nearest neighbours cling.
"And once again:
"The servant in his master's face
Discerns the signs of wrath and grace,
And though the master jerk and tack,
The servant slowly mounts his back.
"And finally:
"The brave, the learnèd, he who wins
To bureaucratic power -
These three, alone of all mankind,
Can pluck earth's golden flower.
"Now let me inform you how power is gained by dancing attendance on a master.
"Win the friendly counsellors,
To the monarch dear,
Win persuasive speakers; so
Gain the royal ear.
"On the undiscerning mob
'It's not wise to toil:
No man reaps a harvest by
Ploughing barren soil.
"Serve a king of merit, though
Friendless, destitute;
After some delay, you pluck
Long-enduring fruit.
"Hate your master, and you fill
Servant's meanest state:
Not discerning whom to serve,
'It's yourself you hate.
"Treat the dowager, the queen,
And the king-to-be,
Chaplain, porter, counsellor,
Most obsequiously.
"One who seeks the van in fights.
In the palace clings,
In the city walks behind,
Is beloved of kings.
"One who flatters when addressed,
Does the proper things,
Acts without expressing doubts.
Is beloved of kings.
"One, the royal gifts of cash
Prudently who flings,
Wearing gifts of garments, he
Is beloved of kings.
"One who never makes reply
That his master stings,
Never boisterously laughs,
Is beloved of kings.
"One who never hearkens to
Queenly whisperings,
In the women's quarters dumb,
"Is beloved of kings.
"One who, even in distress,
Never boasts and sings
Of his master's favour, he
Is beloved of kings.
"One who hates his master's foe,
Loves his friend, and brings
Pain or joy to either one,
Is beloved of kings.
"One who never disagrees,
Blames, or pulls the strings
Of intrigue with enemies,
Is beloved of kings.
"One who finds in battle, peace
Free from questionings,
Thinks of exile as of home,
Is beloved of kings.
"One who thinks of dice as death,
Wine as poison-stings,
Others' wives as statues, he
Is beloved of kings."
"Well," said Cheek, "when you come into his presence, what do you intend to say first? Please tell me that."
And Victor replied:
"Answers, after speech begins,
Further answers breed,
As a seed, with timely rain,
Ripens other seed.
"And besides:
"A clever servant shows his master
The gleam of triumph or disaster
From good or evil courses springing,
And shows him wit, decision-bringing.
T"he man possessing such a wit
Should magnify and foster it;
Thereby he earns a livelihood
And public honour from the good.
"And there is a saying:
"Let anyone who does not seek
His master's fall, unbidden speak;
So act at least the excellent:
The other kind are different."
"But," said Cheek, "kings are hard to conciliate. There is a saying:
"In sensuous coil
And heartless toil,
In sinuous course
And armoured force,
In savage harms
That yield to charms -
In all these things
Are snakes like kings.
"Uneven, rough,
And high enough
Yet low folk roam
Their flanks as home,
And wild things haunt
Them, hungry, gaunt -
In all these things
Are hills like kings.
"The things that claw, and the things that gore
Are unreliable things;
And so is a man with a sword in his hand,
And rivers, and women, and kings."
"Quite true," said Victor. "However:
"The clever man soon penetrates
The subject's mind, and captivates.
"Cringe, and flatter him when angry;
Love his friend and hate his foe;
Duly advertise his presents -
Trust no magic - win him so.
"And yet:
"If a man excel in action,
Learning, fluent word,
Make yourself his humble servant
While his power is stirred,
Quick to leave him at the moment
When he grows absurd.
"Plant your words where profit lies:
Whiter cloth takes faster dyes.
"Till you know his power and manhood,
Effort has no scope:
Moonlight's glitter vainly rivals
Himalaya's slope."
And Cheek replied: "If you have made up your mind, then seek the feet of the king. Blest be your journeyings. May your purpose be accomplished.
"Be heedful in the presence of the king;
We also to your health and fortune cling."
Then Victor bowed to his friend, and went to meet Rusty.
So Victor entered, bowed to Rusty, and sat down on the seat indicated to him.
Then Rusty extended a right paw adorned with claws as formidable as thunderbolts, and said respectfully: "Do you enjoy health? Why has so long a time passed since you were last visible?"
And Victor replied: "Even though my royal master has no present need of me, still I ought to report at the proper time. For there is nothing that may not render service to a king. As the saying goes:
"To clean a tooth or scratch an ear
A straw may serve a king:
A man, with speech and action, is
A higher kind of thing.
"Besides, we who are ancestral servants of our royal master, follow him even in disasters. For us there is no other course. Now the proverb says:
"Set in fit position each
Gem or serving-man;
No tiaras on the toes,
Just because you can.
"Servants leave the kings who their
Qualities ignore,
Even kings of lofty line,
Wealthy, served of yore.
"Lacking honour from their equals,
Jobless, déclassé,
Servants give their master notice
That they will not stay.
"And again:
"If set in tin, a gem that would
Adorn a golden frame,
Will never scream nor fail to gleam,
Yet tells its wearer's shame.
"The king who reads a servant's mind -
Dull, faithless, faithful, wise -
May servants find of every kind
For every enterprise.
"And as for my master's remark: 'It is long since you were last visible,' pray hear the reason of that:
"Where just distinction is not drawn
Between the left and right,
The self-respecting, if they can,
Will quickly take to flight.
"If masters no distinction make
Among their servants, then
They lose the zealous offices
Of energetic men.
"And in a market where it seems
That no distinctions hold
Between red-eye and ruby, how
Can precious gems be sold?
"There must be bonds of union
In all their dealings, since
No prince can lack his servants
Nor servants lack a prince.
"Yet the nature of the servant also depends on the master's quality. As the saying goes:
"In case of horse or book or sword,
Of woman, man or lute or word,
The use or uselessness depends
On qualities the user lends.
"And another point. You do wrong to despise me because I am a jackal. For
"Silk comes from worms, and gold from stone;
From cow's hair sacred grass is grown;
The water-lily springs from mud;
From cow-dung sprouts the lotus-bud;
The moon its rise from ocean takes;
And gems proceed from hoods of snakes;
From cows' bile yellow dyestuffs come;
And fire in wood is quite at home:
The worthy, by display of worth,
Attain distinction, not by birth.
"And again:
"Kill, although domestic born,
Any hurtful mouse:
Bribe an alien cat who will
Help to clean the house.
"And once again:
"How use the faithful, lacking power?
Or strong, who evil do?
But me, O King, you should not scorn,
For I am strong and true.
"Scorn not the wise who penetrate
Truth's universal law;
They are not men to be restrained
By money's petty straw:
When beauty glistens on their cheeks
By trickling ichor lent,
Bull-elephants feel lotus-chains
As no impediment."
"Oh," said Rusty, "you must not say such things. You are our counsellor's son, an old retainer."
"O King," said Victor, "there is something that should be said."
And the king replied: "My good fellow, reveal what is in your heart."
Then Victor began: "My master set out to take water. Why did he turn back and camp here?"
And Rusty, concealing his inner feelings, said: "Victor, it just happened so."
"O King," said the jackal, "if it is not a thing to disclose, then let it be.
"Some things a man should tell his wife,
Some things to friend and some to son;
All these are trusted. He should not
Tell everything to everyone."
Hereupon Rusty reflected: "He seems trustworthy. I will tell him what I have in mind. For the proverb says:
"You find repose, in sore disaster,
By telling things to powerful master,
To honest servant, faithful friend,
Or wife who loves you till the end.
"Friend Victor, did you hear a great voice in the distance?"
"Yes, master, I did," said Victor. "What of it?"
And Rusty continued: "My good fellow, I intend to leave this forest."
"Why?" said Victor.
"Because," said Rusty, "there has come into our forest some prodigious creature, from whom we hear this great voice. His nature must correspond to his voice, and his power to his nature."
"What!" said Victor. "Is our master frightened by a mere voice? You know the proverb:
"Water undermines the dikes;
Love dissolves when malice strikes;
Secrets melt when babblings start;
Simple words melt dastard hearts.
"So it would be improper if our master abruptly left the forest which was won by his ancestors and has been so long in the family. For they say:
"Wisely move one foot; the other
Should its vantage hold;
Till assured of some new dwelling,
Do not leave the old.
"Besides, many kinds of sounds are heard here. Yet they are nothing but noises, not a warning of danger. For example, we hear the sounds made by thunder, wind among the reeds, lutes, drums, tambourines, conch-shells, bells, wagons, banging doors, machines, and other things. They are nothing to be afraid of. As the verse says:
"If a king be brave, however
Fierce the foe and grim,
Sorrows of humiliation
Do not wait for him.
"And again:
"Bravest bosoms do not falter,
Fearing heaven's threat:
Summer dries the pools; the Indus
Rises, greater yet.
"And once again:
"Mothers bear on rare occasions
To the world a chief,
Glad in luck and brave in battle,
Undepressed in grief.
"And yet again:
"Do not act as does the grass-blade.
Lacking honest pride,
Drooping low in feeble meanness,
Lightly brushed aside.
"My master must take this point of view and reinforce his resolution, not fear a mere sound. As the saying goes:
"I thought at first that it was full
Of fat; I crept within
And there I did not find a thing
Except some wood and skin."
"How was that?" asked Rusty. And Victor told the story of The Jackal and the War-Drum.*
(14th-century Egyptian ms. of Kalila-wa-Dimna)
"And that is why I say that one should not be troubled by a mere sound."
"But," said Rusty, "these retainers of mine are terrified and wish to run away. So how am I to reinforce my resolution?"
And Victor answered: "Master, they are not to blame. For servants take after the master. You know the proverb:
"In case of horse or book or sword,
Of woman, man or lute or word,
The use or uselessness depends
On qualities the user lends.
"Then summon your manhood and remain on this spot until I return, having ascertained the nature of the creature. Then act as seems proper."
"What!" said Rusty; "are you plucky enough to go there?"
And Victor answered: "When the master commands, is there any difference between 'possible' and 'impossible' to the good servant? As the proverb says:
"Good servants, when their lords command,
Behold no fear on any hand,
Cross pathless seas if he desire
Or gladly enter flaming fire.
"The servant who, his lord commanding, .
Should strive to reach an understanding
On labours hard or easy, he
King's counsellor should never be."
"If you feel so, my dear fellow," said Rusty, "then go. Blest be your journeyings."
So Victor bowed low and set out in the direction of the sound made by Lively.
And when he was gone, terror troubled Rusty's heart, so that he thought: "Ah, I made a sad mistake in trusting him to the point of revealing what is in my mind. Perhaps this Victor will betray me by taking wages from both parties, or from spite at losing his job. For the proverb says:
"A servant suffering from a king
Dishonour after honouring,
Though born and trained to service, will
Be eager to destroy him still.
"So I will go elsewhere and wait, in order to learn his purpose. Perhaps Victor might even bring the thing along and try to kill me. As the saying goes:
"The trustful strong are caught
By weaker foes with ease;
The wary weak are safe
From strongest enemies."
Thus he set his mind in order, went elsewhere, and waited all alone, spying on Victor's procedure.
"All counsellors draw profit from
A king in worries pent,
And that is why they always wish
For him, embarrassment.
"As men in health require no drug
Their vigour to restore,
So kings, relieved of worry, seek
Their counsellors no more."
With these thoughts in mind, he returned to meet Rusty. And Rusty, seeing him coming, assumed his former attitude in an effort to put a good face on the matter.
So when Victor had come near, had bowed low, and had seated himself, Rusty said: "My good fellow, did you see the creature?"
"I saw him," said Victor, "through my master's grace."
"Are you telling the truth?" asked Rusty.
And Victor answered "How could I report anything else to my gracious master? For the proverb says:
"Whoever makes before a king
Small statements, but untrue,
Brings certain ruin on his gods
And on his teacher, too.
"And again:
"The king incarnates all the gods,
So sing the sages old;
Then treat him like the gods: to him
Let nothing false be told.
"And once again:
"The king incarnates all the gods,
Yet with a difference:
He pays for good or ill at once;
The gods, a lifetime hence."
"Yes," said Rusty, "I suppose you really did see him. The great do not become angry with the mean. As the proverb says:
"The hurricane innocuous passes
Over feeble, lowly bending grasses,
But tears at lofty trees: the great
Their prowess greatly demonstrate."
And Victor replied: "I knew beforehand that my master would speak thus. So why waste words? I will bring the creature into my gracious master's presence."
And when Rusty heard this, joy overspread his lotus-face, and his mind felt supreme satisfaction.
Meanwhile Victor returned and called reproachfully to Lively: "Come here, you villainous bull! Come here! Our master Rusty asks why you are not afraid to keep up this meaningless bellowing."
And Lively answered: "My good fellow, who is this person named Rusty?"
"What!" said Victor; "you do not even know our master Rusty?" And he continued with indignation: "The consequences will teach you. He has a retinue of all kinds of animals. He dwells beside the spreading banyan tree. His heart is high with pride. He is lord of life and wealth. His name is Rusty. He is a mighty lion."
When Lively heard this, he thought himself as good as dead, and he fell into deep dejection, saying: "My dear fellow, you appear to be sympathetic and eloquent. So if you cannot avoid conducting me there, pray cause the master to grant me a gracious safe-conduct."
"You are quite right," said Victor. "Your request shows savoir-faire. For
"The earth has a limit,
The mountains, the sea;
The deep thoughts of kings are
Without boundary.
Do you then remain in this spot. Later, when I have held him to an agreement, I will conduct you to him."
Then Victor returned to Rusty and said: "Master, he is no ordinary creature. He has served as the vehicle of blessèd Shiva. And when I questioned him, he said: 'Great Shiva was satisfied with me and bade me crop the grass beside the Jumna. Why make a long story of it? The blessèd one has given me this forest as a playground.'"
At this Rusty was frightened, and he said: "I knew it, I knew it. Only by special favour of the gods do creatures wander in a wild wood, bellowing like that, and fearlessly cropping the grass. But what did you say?"
"Master," said Victor, "I said: 'This forest is the domain of Rusty, vehicle of Shiva's passionate wife. Hence you come as a guest. You must meet him, must spend your time in brotherly love, must eat, drink, work, play, and make your home with him.' All this he promised, adding: 'You must make your master grant me a safe-conduct.' As to that, the master is the sole judge."
At this Rusty was delighted and said: "Splendid, my intelligent servant, splendid! You must have taken counsel with my own heart before speaking. I grant him a safe-conduct. You must hasten to conduct him here, but not until he too has bound himself by oath toward me. Yes, there is sound sense in the saying:
"Polished, fully tested,
Sturdy too, and straight
Are the pillars proper
To a house - or state.
"Again:
"Wit is shown in hours of crisis:
Doctors' wit, in sore disease;
Counsellors', in patching friendship -
All are wise in hours of ease."
Now Victor thought, as he set out to meet Lively: "Well, well! The master is gracious to me and ready to do my bidding. So there is none more blest than I. For
"Four things are nectar: milky food;
A fire in chilly weather;
An honour granted by the king;
And loved ones, come together."
So he found Lively, and said respectfully: "My friend, I won the old master's favour for you, and made him give you a safe-conduct. You may go without anxiety. Still, though you have favour in the eyes of the king, you must act in agreement with me. You must not play the haughty master. I for my part, in alliance with you, will take the rôle of counsellor, and bear the whole burden of administration. Thus we shall both enjoy royal affluence. For
"A sinful chase - yet men can stalk
The treasures of the crown:
One starts the quarry from its lair;
Another strikes it down.
"And again:
"Whoever is too haughty to
Pay king's retainers honour due,
Will find his feet are tottering -
So merchant Strong-Tooth with the king."
How was that?" asked Lively. And Victor told the story of Merchant Strong-Tooth.*
(The king thought, "I never ate a cucumber.")
"Whoever is too haughty to
Pay king's retainers honour due,
Will find his feet are tottering -
So merchant Strong-Tooth with the king."
"My dear fellow," said Lively, "your argument is quite convincing. Let it be as you say."
After this Victor took him to Rusty and said: "O King, here is Lively. I have brought him hither. The future rests with the king."
Then Lively bowed respectfully and stood before the king in a modest attitude. Thereupon Rusty extended over him a right paw plump, firm, massive, adorned with claws as formidable as thunderbolts, and said with deference: "Do you enjoy health? Why do you dwell in this wild wood?"
Thus questioned, Lively related accurately his separation from merchant Increase and the others.
And Rusty, after listening to the story, said: "Have no fear, comrade. Protected by my paws, lead your own life in this forest. Furthermore, you must always take your amusements in my vicinity. For this forest has many drawbacks, since it swarms with numerous savage creatures."
And Lively made answer: "Very well, O King."
Then the king of beasts went down to the bank of the Jumna, drank and bathed his fill, and plunged again into the forest, wherever inclination led him.
Thus the time passed, the mutual affection of the two increasing daily.
Now Lively had assimilated solid intelligence by mastering numerous authoritative works, so that in a very few days he planted discernment in Rusty, dull as was his mind. He weaned him from forest habits and taught him village manners. Why spin it out? Lively and Rusty did nothing but hold secret confabulations every day. This being so, all the other animals of the retinue were kept at a distance.
As for the two jackals, they did not even have the entre. More than that, as soon as they lacked the lion's prowess, the whole company of animals, not excluding the two jackals, suffered grievously from hunger and huddled together. As the proverb puts it:
A king, though proud and pure of birth,
Will see his servants flee
A court where no rewards are won,
As birds a withered tree.
And again:
They may be honoured gentlemen,
They may devoted be,
Yet servants leave a monarch who
Forgets the salary.
While, on the other hand:
A king may scold
Yet servants hold,
If he but pay
Upon the day.
Indeed, all the creatures in this world, adopting cajolery or one of the other three devices, live by eating one another. For example:
Some eat the countries; these are kings;
The doctors, those whom sickness stings;
The merchants, those who buy their things;
And learnèd men, the fools.
The married are the clergy's meat;
The thieves devour the indiscreet;
The flirts their eager lovers eat;
And Labor eats us all.
They keep deceitful snares in play;
They lie in wait by night and day;
And when occasion offers, prey
Like fish on lesser fish.
Now Cheek and Victor, robbed of their master's favour, took counsel together — for their throats were pinched with hunger.
And Victor said: "Cheek, my noble friend, we two seem to have lost our job. For Rusty takes such delight in Lively's conversation that he neglects his business. And the whole court is scattered every which way. What is to be done?"
And Cheek replied: "Even if the master does not take your advice, still you should admonish him to correct his faults. For the proverb says:
"Good counsellors should warn a king
Although he pay no heed
(As Vidur warned the monarch blind)
To cease from evil deed.
"And again:
"Good counsellors or drivers may not duck
From kings or elephants that run amuck.
"Besides, in introducing this grass-nibbler to the master you were handling live coals."
And Victor answered: "You are right. The fault is mine, not the master's. As the saying goes:
"The jackal at the ram-fight;
And we, when tricked by June;
The meddling friend - were playing
A self-defeating tune."
"How was that?" asked Cheek. And Victor told three stories in one, called Godly and June.*
_(8415937481).jpg)
"And that is why I say:
The jackal at the ram-fight;
And we, when tricked by June;
The meddling friend - were playing
A self-defeating tune."
"Well," said Cheek, "such being the case, what are you and I to do?"
And Victor answered: "Even in these circumstances, I shall have a flash of intelligence, showing me how to separate Lively from the king. Besides, he has fallen into serious vice, has our master Rusty. For
"Mad folly stings
The greatest kings,
Who then embrace a vice;
But servants' care
Should check them there
By means of learning nice."
"Into what vice has our master Rusty fallen?" asked Cheek.
And Victor replied: "There are seven vices in the world, namely:
"Drink, women, hunting, scolding, dice,
Greed, cruelty: these seven are vice.
"These, however, really make a single vice, called 'attachment,' with seven subdivisions."
Then Cheek inquired: "Is there only a single fundamental vice, or are there others also?"
And Victor expounded: "There are in the world five situations fundamentally vicious."
And when Cheek asked: "How are they differentiated?" Victor continued: "They are called:
(1) deficiency,
(2) corruption,
(3) attachment,
(4) devastation,
(5) mistaken policy.
"To begin at the beginning, the vice called 'deficiency' means the non-existence of one or another of these: king, counsellor, people, fortress, treasure, punitive power, friends.
"Secondly, when subjects, whether foreign or native, become restless, whether individually or en masse, there arises the vicious situation called 'corruption.'
"'Attachment' was explained above, in the words:
"Drink, women, hunting, scolding, dice,
Greed, cruelty: these seven are vice.
"Here there is a love-group (drink, women, hunting, dice) and a wrath-group (scolding, and the rest). A man thwarted in the love-group becomes obnoxious to the wrath-group. The love-group requires no elucidation.
"The wrath-group, however, threefold as already described, needs some further characterization. 'Scolding' is ill-considered imputation of fault on the part of one bent on injuring an antagonist. 'Cruelty' means ruthless and unwarranted refinements in putting to death, imprisonment, mutilation. 'Greed' is covetousness pushed to a merciless point. These are the seven subdivisions of the vice of attachment.
"Next, there are eight kinds of devastation: by act of God, fire, water, disease, plague, panic, famine, devil-rain (which is a mere name for excessive rain). This disposes of the vice called 'devastation.'
"Finally, there is mistaken policy. Where a man makes a mistaken use of the six expedients peace, war, change of base, entrenchment, alliance, duplicity adopting war instead of peace, or peace instead of war, or making similar mistakes in regard to the other expedients, there we have the vice of mistaken policy.
"Now our master Rusty has fallen into the very first vice, that of deficiency. For he has been so captivated by Lively that he pays not the smallest heed to counsellor or any other of the six supports of his throne. He adopts rather completely a vegetarian morality. So what is the use of a lengthy discussion? Rusty must by all means be detached from Lively. No lamp, no light."
"How will you detach him?" objected Cheek. "You have not the power."
"My dear fellow," said Victor, "there is a verse to fit the situation, namely:
"In cases where brute force would fail,
A shrewd device may still prevail:
The crow-hen used a golden chain,
And so the dreadful snake was slain."
"How was that?" asked Cheek. And Victor told How the Crow-Hen Killed the Black Snake.**
(from Directorium Humanae Vitae, 1484)
"And that is why I say:
In cases where brute force would fail,
A shrewd device may still prevail:
The crow-hen used a golden chain,
And so the dreadful snake was slain.
"Furthermore:
"Some men permit a petty foe
Through purblind heedlessness to grow,
Till he who played a petty rôle
Grows, like disease, beyond control.
"Indeed, there is nothing in the world that the intelligent cannot control. As the saying goes:
"Intelligence is power. But where
Could power and folly make a pair?
The rabbit played upon his pride
To fool him; and the lion died."
"How was that?" asked Cheek. And Victor told the story of Numskull and the Rabbit.*
(14th-century Egyptian ms. of Kalila-wa-Dimna)
"And that is why I say:
Intelligence is power. But where
Could power and folly make a pair?
The rabbit played upon his pride
To fool him; and the lion died."
"But," said Cheek, "that is like a palm-fruit falling on a crow's head — a quite exceptional case. Even if the rabbit was successful, still a man of feeble powers should not deal fraudulently with the great."
And Victor retorted: "Feeble or strong, one must make up his mind to vigorous action. You know the proverb:
"Unceasing effort brings success;
'Fate, fate is all,' let dastards wail:
Smite fate and prove yourself a man;
What fault if bold endeavour fail?
"Furthermore, the very gods befriend those who ever strive. As the story goes:
"The gods befriend a man who climbs
Determination's height:
So Vishnu, discus, bird sustained
The weaver in the fight.
"And further:
"Not even Brahma sees the end
Of well-devised deceit:
The weaver, taking Vishnu's form,
Embraced the princess sweet."
"How was that?" asked Cheek. "Are undertakings successful even through deceit, resolutely and well devised?"
And Victor told the story of The Weaver Who Loved a Princess.*
"And that is why I say:
"The gods befriend a man who climbs
Determination's height:
So Vishnu, discus, bird sustained
The weaver in the fight."
Having listened to this, Cheek said: "If you, too, are thus climbing determination's height, then proceed to the accomplishment of your desire. Blest be your journeyings."
Thereupon Victor sought the presence of the lion, who said, when Victor had bowed and seated himself: "Why has so long a time passed since you were last visible?"
And Victor answered: "O King, urgent business awaits my master today. Hence I am come, the bearer of tidings unwelcome but wholesome. This is not, indeed, the desire of dependents, who yet bring such tidings when they fear the neglect of immediate and necessary action. As the proverb says:
"When those appointed to advise
Speak wholesome truth, they cause surprise
By this remarkable excess
Of passionate devotedness.
"And again:
"A man is quickly found, O King,
To say the sycophantic thing;
But one prepared to hear or speak
Unwelcome truth, is far to seek."
Hereupon Rusty, believing his words worthy of trust, respectfully asked him: "What do you wish to imply?"
And Victor answered: "O King, Lively has crept into your confidence with treasonable purpose. On several occasions he has confidentially whispered in my hearing: 'I have examined the strong points and the weak in your master's power - in his prestige, his advisers, and his material resources. I plan to kill him and to seize the royal power myself without difficulty.' This very day this Lively person intends to carry out his design. That is why I am here to warn the master whose service is mine by inheritance."
To Rusty this report was more terrible than the fall of a thunderbolt. He sank into a panic-stricken stupor and said not a word.
Then Victor, comprehending his state of mind, continued: "This is the great sadness in the discharge of a counsellor's duty. There is wisdom in the saying:
"When a counsellor or king
Rises higher than he should,
Fortune strives in vain to make
Still her double footing good;
Being woman, feels the strain;
Soon abandons one of twain.
"For, indeed,
"With broken sliver, loosened tooth,
Or counsellor who fails in truth,
Pull roots and all; so only, grief
Will find its permanent relief.
"And again:
No king should ever delegate
To one sole man the powers of state:
For folly seizes him, then pride,
Whereat he grows dissatisfied
With service; thus impatient grown,
He longs to rule the realm alone;
And such impatient longings bring
Him into plots to kill his king.
"Even now, this Lively manages all business as he will, without restraint of any kind. Hence the well-known saying finds application:
"A counsellor who tramples through
His business, though his heart be true,
May not unheeded go his way,
Since future days the present pay.
"But such is the nature of kings. As the poet sings:
Some gentle actions born of love
To thoughts of active hatred move;
Some deeds of traitorous offense
Win guerdon of benevolence;
The kingly mind can no man tame,
As never being twice the same:
Such service makes the spirit faint,
A hard conundrum for a saint."
On hearing this, Rusty said: "After all, he is my servant. Why should he experience a change of heart toward me?"
But Victor answered: "Servant or not, there is nothing conclusive in that. For the proverb says:
"The man who loves not royalty,
Just serving while he can
Find nothing better worth his pains,
Is not a loyal man."
"My dear fellow," said the lion, "even so, I cannot find it in my heart to turn against him. For
"However false and fickle grown,
Once dear is always dear:
Who does not love his body, though
Decrepit, blemished, queer?
"And again:
"His actions may be hard to bear,
His speech be harsh to hear;
The heart still clings delighted to
A person truly dear."
"For that very reason," retorted Victor, "there is a serious flaw in the business of getting on in the world. Observe how this person, upon whom the master has concentrated his consideration to the exclusion of the whole company of animals, now desires to become himself the master. As the verse puts it:
"The man of birth or man unknown,
If kingly eyes on him alone
Are fixed, aspires to seize the throne.
"Therefore, dear though he be, he should be abandoned, being a traitor, like one who has never been dear. There is much wisdom in the saying:
"Pursue your aim, abandoning
The fools inclined to sin,
The comrades, brothers, friends, or sons,
Or honourable kin:
"You know the song the women sing,
We hear it far and near -
What good are golden earrings, if
They lacerate your ear?
"And if you fancy that he will bring benefit because he is bulky of body, you make a perverse mistake. For
"How use a proud bull-elephant
That will not serve the king?
A man is better, fat or lean,
Who does the helpful thing.
"Again, any pity that our lord and king might feel toward him, is quite out of place. For
"Whoever leaves the righteous path
For some unrighteous course,
Will meet calamity in time
And suffer much remorse.
"Whoever will not take from friends
Most excellent advice,
Will gladden foes, and falling soon,
Will pay his folly's price.
"And again:
"On wicked trick intently bent,
The wilful still lack ear to hear
(So blind their mind) of nice and vice
The cause in saws appearing clear.
"Furthermore:
"Where one will speak and one will heed
What in the end is well,
Although unpleasant at the time,
There riches love to dwell.
"And again:
"No king's retainer should devise
A fraud, for spies are kingly eyes:
Then bear with harsh as kind, O King;
The truth is seldom flattering.
"Tried servants never should be left,
And strangers taken;
A kingdom's health by no disease
Is sooner shaken."
"My good fellow," said the lion, "pray do not say such things. For
"Never publicly defame
Any once commended name:
Broken promises are shame.
"Now I formerly gave him a safe-conduct, since he appeared as a suppliant. How then can he prove ungrateful?"
But Victor rejoined:
"No rogue asks reason for his wrath;
Nor saint, to tread in kindness' path:
By nature's power, the sweet or sour
In sugar dwells or nim-tree's flower.
"And again:
"Caress a rascal as you will,
He was and is a rascal still:
All salve- and sweating-treatments fail
To take the kink from doggy's tail.
"And once again:
"Slight kindness shown to lofty souls
A strange enlargement seeks:
The moonbeams gleam with whiter light
On Himalaya's peaks.
"While, on the other hand:
The kindness shown to vicious souls
Strange diminution seeks:
The gleam of moonbeams is absorbed
On Sooty Mountain's peaks.
"A hundred benefits are lost,
If lavished on the mean;
A hundred epigrams with their
True relevance unseen;
"A hundred counsels, when a life
Obeys no rigid rule;
A hundred cogent arguments
Are lost upon a fool.
"Lost is every gift that goes
Where it does not fit;
Lost is service lavished on
Sluggish mind and wit;
"Lost upon ingratitude
Is the kindest plan;
Lost is courtesy on one
Not a gentleman,
"Or put it this way:
Perfume offered to a corpse,
Lotus-planting dry,
Weeping in the wood, prolonged
Rain on alkali,
Taking kinks from doggy's tail,
Drawl in deafened ear,
Decking faces of the blind,
Sense for fools to hear.
"Or this way:
"Milk a bull, and think him some
Heavy-uddered cow;
Blind to lovely maidens, clasp
Eunuchs anyhow;
Seek in shining scraps of quartz
Lapis lazuli:
Do not serve an addlepate,
Bidding sense goodbye.
"Ergo, the master must by no means fail to heed my sound advice. And one thing more:
"What tiger, monkey, snake advised,
I did not do; and so
That dreadfully ungrateful man
Has brought me very low."
"How was that?" asked Rusty. And Victor told the story of The Ungrateful Man.
"And that is why I say:
What tiger, monkey, snake advised,
I did not do; and so
That dreadfully ungrateful man
Has brought me very low."
And Victor continued:
"Friend or kinsman, teacher, king,
Must be kept from trespassing:
If they cling to evil still,
They will bend you to their will.
"O King, he is obviously a traitor. However,
"Tirelessly benevolent,
Save a friend on evil bent:
This is sainthood's perfect song;
Every substitute is wrong.
"Again:
"Who saves from vice is truly kind;
True wife is she who shares your mind;
True acts are free from every blame;
True joy, from avarice's shame;
True wisdom wins the praise of saints;
True friends involve in no restraints;
True glory knows no haughtiness;
True men are cheerful in distress.
"And again:
"Rest your sleeping head in fire;
Pillow it with snakes:
Do not smile at worthy friends
Who pursue mistakes.
"Now my lord and king associates with Lively, making a vicious mistake that results in the neglect of the three things worth living for - virtue, money, and love. And in spite of my protestations, urged from various points of view, my lord and king goes his wilful way, unheeding. In the future, therefore, when the crash comes, do not blame your servant. You have heard the saying:
"No thought of profit or of right
Can headstrong monarchs stay,
Who, like bull-elephants amuck,
Pursue their reckless way;
"When, puffed with pride, they come to grief
In thickets of distress,
They blame their servants, and forget
Their proper naughtiness."
"Such being the case, my good fellow," said the lion, "should I warn him?"
"What! Warn him?" said Victor. What kind of policy would that be? For
"He stings or strikes in hasty fear
When warning has been heard:
'It's wise to warn an enemy
By action, not by word."
"After all," said Rusty, "he is a grass-nibbler. I am a carnivore. How can he hurt me?"
"Precisely," said Victor. "He is a grass-nibbler. My lord and king is a carnivore. He is food. My lord and king devours food. In spite of all, if the fellow is not likely to work harm through his own power, he will egg on another to it. As the saying goes:
"The weak, malicious fool
Can use a keener tool:
It sharpens sword-blades, but
The whetstone cannot cut."
"How can that be?" said the lion.
And Victor answered: "Why, you have constantly engaged in battle with unnumbered bull-elephants, wild oxen, buffaloes, boars, tigers, and leopards, until your body is spotted with scars left by the thrust of claw and tusk. Now this Lively, living beside you, is always scattering his excrement far and wide. In it worms will breed. These worms, finding your body conveniently near, will creep into ready-made crevices, and will bore deep. And so you are as good as dead. As the proverb says:
"With no stranger share your house;
Leap, the flea, killed Creep, the louse."
"How was that?" asked Rusty. And Victor told the story of Leap and Creep.
.jpg)
(louse)
"And that is why I say:
"With no stranger share your house;
Leap, the flea, killed Creep, the louse.
"And another thing. My lord and king does wrong in neglecting the servants who are his by inheritance. For
"Whoever leaves his friends,
Strange folk to cherish,
Like foolish Fierce-Howl, will
Untimely perish."
"How was that?" asked Rusty. And Victor told the story of The Blue Jackal.
"And that is why I say:
Whoever leaves his friends,
Strange folk to cherish,
Like foolish Fierce-Howl, will
Untimely perish."
Then Rusty asked: "How am I to recognize that he is treacherous? And what is his fighting technique?"
And Victor answered: "Formerly he would come into the presence of my lord and king with limbs relaxed. If today he approaches timidly, in obvious readiness to thrust with his horns, then the king may understand that he has treachery in mind."
Hereupon Victor rose and visited Lively. To him, also, he showed himself sluggish, like one penetrated by discouragement.
Therefore Lively said: "My good fellow, are you in spirits?"
To which he replied: "How can a dependent be in spirits? For you know
"They see their wealth in others' power
Who wait upon a king;
They even fear to lose their lives:
A doleful song they sing.
"Again:
"With birth begin the sorrows which
Forever after cling,
The never ending train of woes
In service of a king.
"Five deaths-in-life sage Vyasa notes
With well-known epic swing:
The poor man, sick man, exile, fool,
And servant of a king.
"His food repels; he dare not say
An independent thing;
Though sleepless, he is not awake
Who hangs upon a king.
"The common phrase 'a dog's life' has
A most persuasive ring:
But dogs can do the things they like;
A slave obeys his king.
"He must be chaste, sleep hard, grow thin,
And eat a meagre dinner:
The servant lives as lives the saint,
Yet is not saint, but sinner.
"He cannot do the things he would;
He serves another's mind;
He sells his body. How can such
A wretch contentment find?
"According to the lesser distance,
A servant uses more persistence
In watching for his master's whim
And trembling at the sight of him:
"And this because a fire, a king,
Are double name for single thing,
A burning thing that men can stand
Afar, but not too close at hand.
"What flavour has a titbit, though
It be as good as good,
Soft, dainty, melting in the mouth,
If bought by servitude?
"To sum it all up:
"What is my place? My time? My friends?
Expenditure or dividends?
And what am I? And what my power?
So must one ponder hour by hour."
After listening to this, Lively said, perceiving that Victor had a hidden purpose in mind: "Tell me, my good fellow, what you wish to imply."
And Victor answered: "Well, you are my friend. I cannot help telling you what is to your profit. Here goes. The master, Rusty, is filled with wrath against you. And he said today: 'I will kill Lively and provide a feast for all who eat meat.' Of course, I fell into deep dejection on hearing this. Now you must do what the crisis demands."
To Lively this report was like the fall of a thunderbolt, and he fell into deep dejection. Yet as Victor's words were always plausible, he grew more and more troubled, fell into a panic, and said: "Yes, the proverb is right:
"Women oft are tricked by scamps;
Kings with rascals oft agree;
Toward the skinflints money drifts;
Rain on mountains falls and sea.
"Ah, me! Ah, me! What is this that has befallen me?
"You serve your king most heedfully.
Of course. Who could complain?
But enmity as your reward
Is unexpected pain.
"And again:
"If one is angry, giving cause,
Remove it, and the wrath will pause:
But how may man propitiate
A mind that harbours causeless hate?
"Who does not fear the scoundrel's art,
The causeless hate, the flinty heart?
For ever ready venom drips
Resistless from his serpent-lips.
"The stupid king-swan pecks by night
At star-shine, in the water bright,
Believing it a lotus white;
Then, fearing stars when shines the sun,
Avoids the lotus. Everyone
Who dreads a trap, will blessings shun.
"Alas! What wrong have I done our master Rusty?"
"Comrade," said Victor, "kings love to injure without reason, and they seek out the vulnerable spot in an adversary."
"True, too true," said Lively. "There is wisdom in the verse:
"The serpent sandal-trees defiles;
In lotus-ponds lurk crocodiles;
The slanderer makes virtue vain:
No blessing lacks attendant pain.
"No lotus decks the mountain height;
From scoundrels issues nothing right;
To saints no change of heart is known;
Rice never sprouts from barley sown.
"Nobility's constraints
Are felt by gracious saints,
Who bear good deeds in mind
Forget the other kind.
"Yet, after all, the fault is mine, because I made advances to a false friend. As the story goes:
"Harsh talk, untimely action,
False friends are worse than vain:
The swan in lilies sleeping,
Was by the arrow slain."
"How was that?" asked Victor. And Lively told the story of Passion and the Owl.
(swan)
"And that is why I say:
"Harsh talk, untimely action,
False friends are worse than vain:
The swan in lilies sleeping,
Was by the arrow slain."
And Lively continued: "Why, our master Rusty was all honey at first, but at the last his purpose turns to poison. Ah, yes!
"He compliments you to your face;
His whispered slanders never stop:
Avoid a friend like that. He is
A poison-jug with cream on top.
"Yes, I have learned by experience the truth of the well-known verse:
"He lifts his hands to see you standing there;
His eyes grow moist; he offers half his chair;
He hugs you warmly to his eager breast;
In kindly talk and question finds no rest;
His skill is wondrous in deceptive tricks;
Honey without, within the poison sticks:
What play is this, what strange dramatic turns,
That every villain, like an actor, learns?
"At first rogues' friendship glitters bright
With service, flattery, delight;
Thence, in its middle journey, shoot
Gay flowers of speech that fail to fruit;
Its final goal is treason, shame,
Disgust, and slanders that defame:
Alas! Who made the curs´d thing?
Its one foul purpose is to sting.
"And again:
"They bow abjectly; leap to greet
You with their speech seductive-sweet;
Pursue and hug you day by day;
Of deep devotion make display:
All praise your virtue. Never one
Finds time to do what should be done.
"Woe is me! How can I, a creature herbivorous, consort with this lion who devours raw flesh? There is wisdom in the saying:
"Where wealth is very much the same,
And similar the family fame,
Marriage or friendship is secure;
But not between the rich and poor.
"And there is a proverb:
"The sun, already setting, shows
His final flaming power,
And still the honey-thirsty bee
Explores the lotus-flower,
Forgets that it will prove a trap
That shuts at set of sun:
Ambition, thirsting for reward,
Is blind to dangers run.
"Abandoning the lotus-bloom
With all its sweet content,
The jasmine's natural perfume
And luxury of scent,
The water-bees seek toilsome food,
On ichor-sipping bent:
So men reject the easy good,
In rogues overconfident.
"The bees that, too adventurous,
A novel honey seek
In springtime ichor glistening on
The elephant-monarch's cheek,
When, tossed by wind from flapping ears,
They tumble to the ground,
Remember then what gentle sport
In lotus-cups is found.
"Yet, after all, virtues involve corresponding defects. For
The fruit-tree's branch by very wealth
Of fruit is bended low;
The peacock's feathered pride compels
A sluggish gait and slow;
The blooded horse that wins his race,
Must like a cow be led:
The good in goodness often find
An enemy to dread.
"Where Jumna's waves roll blue
With sands of sapphire hue,
Black serpents have their lair;
And who would hunt them there,
But that a jewel's bright star
From each hood gleams afar?
By virtue rising, all
By that same virtue fall.
"The man of virtue commonly
Is hateful to the king,
While riches to the scamps and fools
Habitually cling:
The ancient chant 'By virtue great
Is man' has run to seed;
The world takes rare and little note
Of any plucky deed.
"Sad, shamefaced lions fail to rage,
Their spirit mastered by the cage;
And captive elephants' brows and pride
By drivers' goads are scarified;
Charms dull the cobras; hopeless woe
Lays scholars flat and soldiers low:
For Time, the mountebank, enjoys
A juggling bout with chosen toys.
"The honey-greedy bee - poor fool! -
Deserts the flowering lotus-pool
Where danger is not found, to sip
The springtime ichor-rills that drip
From elephant foreheads; does not fear
The flapping of that monstrous ear:
So, by his nature, greedy man
Forgets the issue of his plan.
"Yes, by entering a vulgarian's sphere of power, I have certainly forfeited my life. As the proverb says:
"All who live upon their wits,
Many learnèd, too, are mean,
Do the wrong as quick as right:
Illustration may be seen
In the well-known tale that features
Camel, crow, and other creatures."
"How was that?" asked Victor. And Lively told the story of Ugly's Trust Abused.
[STOPPED HERE]
After telling the story, Lively continued, addressing Victor: "My dear fellow, this king, with his shabby advisers, brings no good to his dependents. Better have as king a vulture advised by swans than a swan advised by vultures. For from the vulture advisers many vices appear in their master, quite sufficient to bring ruin. Of the two, therefore, one should choose the former as king. But a king instigated by evil counsel is incapable of reflection. You know the saying:
Your jackal does not reassure;
Your crow's sharp bill offends:
You therefore see me up a tree -
I do not like your friends."
How was that?" asked Victor. And Lively told the story of The Lion and the Carpenter.
"And that is why I say that a king with shabby advisers brings no good to his dependents."
After telling the story, Lively continued: "Somebody must have set Rusty against me. Besides:
Soft water's scars elide
The mighty mountain side,
And leave it much diminished:
By those who have the trick
To make a whisper stick
Man's gentleness is finished.
"Under these circumstances, what action is opportune? Indeed, there is nothing left save battle. For the proverb says:
By gifts, by self-denial,
By sacrificial trial,
Some slowly win to heaven;
To him who yields his life
In glad, heroic strife,
Quick entrance there is given.
And again:
The slain attains the sky,
The victor joyful lives;
And heroes are content
With these alternatives.
And once again:
Gay maidens, smart with gems and gold;
The flyflap's royal toy;
Throne, horse, and elephant, and cash;
The white umbrella, joy
And sign of monarchs - shun the coward,
Are not for mamma's boy."
When he heard this, Victor thought: "The fellow has sharp horns and plenty of vigour. He might perhaps strike down the master, if fate decreed it. That would not do, either. And the proverb says:
Even with heroes victory
Whimsically may alight.
Try three other methods first;
Only in extremis fight.
So I will use my wits to turn his thoughts from fighting." And he said: "My dear fellow, this is not a good plan, because
He loses fights who fights before
His foeman's power is reckoned:
The ocean and the plover fought,
And ocean came out second."
"How was that?" asked Lively. And Victor told the story of The Plover Who Fought the Ocean.
Now when Lively understood the matter, he asked Victor: "Tell me, comrade. What is his fighting technique?"
And Victor answered: "Formerly he would lie carelessly on a slab of stone, with limbs relaxed. If today his tail is drawn in at the very first, if his four paws are bunched and his ears pricked up, and if he is watching for you while you are still far off, then you may understand that he has treachery in mind."
Hereupon Victor visited Cheek, who asked: "What have you accomplished?"
And he replied: "I have already set them at odds with each other."
"Have you really done it?" said Cheek.
And Victor answered: "The outcome will show you."
"Indeed," said Cheek, "it is not surprising. For the proverb says:
A well-devised estranging scheme
The firmest prudence shocks,
As constant floods of water split
The mountains' close-piled rocks."
Then Victor continued: "Having wrought an estrangement, a man should not fail to seek his own advantage in it. As the verse puts it:
The man who studies every book
And understands, yet does not look
To his advantage, learns in vain;
His books are merely mental strain."
"But in the final analysis," said Cheek, "there is no such thing as personal advantage. For
Since worms and filth and ashes cling,
The body is a loathsome thing;
What statecraft therefore may there be
In hurting it vicariously?"
"Ah," replied Victor, "you have no comprehension of the devious ways of statesmanship, the basic support of the profession of counsellor. On this point there is a verse:
Let your speech like sugar be,
Steel your heart remorselessly;
Never draw a doubtful breath:
Pay for suffered wrongs with death.
And another thing. This Lively, even when killed, will provide us with nourishment. For you know,
The wise who wrongs another,
Pursuing selfish good,
Should keep his plans a secret,
As Smart did in the wood."
"How was that?" asked Cheek. And Victor told the story of Smart, The Jackal.
Now when Victor was gone, Lively reflected: "What am I to do? Suppose I go elsewhere, then some other merciless creature will kill me, for this is a wild wood. Indeed, when the master is furious, it is not possible even to depart. For the proverb says:
Impunity comes not
By fleeing far away:
The long arms of the shrewd
Make careless sinners pay.
"My best course is to approach the lion. He might regard me as a suppliant, might even spare my life."
Having thus set his mind in order, he started very slowly, with troubled spirit, and when he perceived the lion in the posture foretold by Victor, he sank down at some little distance, thinking: "Ah, the unfathomable character of kings! As the proverb says:
It's a house with serpents crawling,
Wood with beasts of prey appalling,
Lotus-pond where blossoms smile
Over the lurking crocodile,
Spot that sneaking rogues deface
With repeated slanders base -
Timid servant never learns
Whither kingly purpose turns."
Rusty for his part, perceiving the bull in the attitude predicted by Victor, made a sudden spring at him. And Lively, though his body was torn by sharp claws as formidable as thunderbolts, also scored the lion's belly with his horns, contrived to break away from him, and stood in fighting posture, ready to gore again.
At this point Cheek perceived that both of them, red as dhak trees in blossom, were intent on killing each other, and he said reproachfully to Victor: "You dunderhead! In setting these two at enmity, you have done a wicked deed. You have brought trouble and confusion into this entire forest, thus proving your ignorance of the true nature of statecraft. For the saying runs:
Those are counsellors indeed,
Wise in statecraft, who succeed
In composing reckless strife
That, unhindered, threatens life:
Those on petty purpose bent,
Keen to visit punishment,
Quick in wrong and folly, bring
Risk to kingdom and to king.
Ah, poor fool!
Men of true discernment, first
Try conciliation;
For the victories of peace
Suffer no frustration.
Ah, poor simpleton! You seek the post of counsellor, and are ignorant of the very name of conciliation. Your ambition is vain, since you love harsh measures. As the proverb puts it:
Lord Brahma bids the statesman try
Conciliation first,
Postpone or shun (it can be done)
Harsh deeds, of all deeds worst.
'It's neither sun nor flashing gem
Nor fiery spark,
'It's peace, from bitter foemen's hearts
That routs the dark.
And again:
Try peaceful means, not harsh, to make
Your quarrel flit:
Take sugar, not cucumber, for
A bilious fit.
And once again:
The doors that wit unlocks are three -
Peace, shrewd intrigue, and bribery;
The fourth device that brings success
In struggle, is plain manliness.
It's womanish, no doubt, to show
Small strength, abundant sense;
But power is merely bestial, if
Without intelligence.
Snake, lion, elephant, and fire,
With water, wind, and sun,
Have power. From undirected power
Is little profit won.
"Now if it was overweening pride in being the son of a counsellor that has led you to outrage decency, the result will be merely your own ruin. As the proverb says:
What is learning whose attaining
Sees no passion wane, no reigning
Love and self-control?
Does not make the mind a menial,
Finds in virtue no congenial
Path and final goal?
Whose attaining is but straining
For a name, and never gaining
Fame or peace of soul?
"Now in the treatises on the subject statesmanship is subsumed under five heads, to wit: proper inception; resources, human and material; determination of place and time; countermeasures for mischance; and successful accomplishment. At the present moment, the master finds himself in serious peril. So, if you have any such capacity, devise countermeasures for his mischance. For the wisdom of a counsellor finds its test in the patching of friendship. Ah, you fool! That you cannot do, because you have a perverted mind. As the saying goes:
No scamp can further others' work,
But can deprave it:
The mole uproots the mulberry,
But cannot save it.
"After all, the fault is not yours, but rather the master's, who trusts your words, dull-witted as you are. And the proverb says:
Educating sluggish wit
Kills no pride but fosters it:
In the sunlight others find
Aid to vision; owls go blind.
Education thrusts aside
Man's fatuity and pride;
If it foster them, who can
Cure the educated man?
Remedies are useless when
Heaven's nectar poisons men."
And Cheek, beholding his master in pitiful plight, sank into deep dejection. "Dreadful," he cried, "dreadful is the penalty the master pays for taking evil counsel! Indeed, there is wisdom in the verse:
Monarchs who adopt a plan
From the mean and vicious man,
Who refuse to tread the way
That the prudent counsel - they
Enter misadventure's cage
Where the adversaries rage;
Thence deliverance's gate
Crowns an issue rugged, strait.
"Fool! Fool! All the world seeks the service of a master whose retinue is righteous. How, then, can such an evil counsellor as you, who, like a beast, understand nothing but destruction - how can such a one enrich the master with righteous companions? For the proverb says:
Monarchs, ill-advised, repel,
Even though they purpose well:
Sweet and placid waters smile,
But beware the crocodile.
"Yet you, I suppose, seeking your own advantage, desire to have the king quite solitary. Ah, fool! Are you ignorant of the verse?
Kings shine as social beings, not
As solitaries;
Whoever wish them lonely are
Their adversaries.
And again:
Draw benefit from comments harsh;
No poison, this:
In flattery see treason, not
True nectar's bliss.
"And if you are grieved at seeing others happy and prosperous, that, too, is wicked. It is wrong to proceed thus when friends have fulfilled their nature. For
Those who seek, through treason, friends;
Seek, through humbug, righteous ends;
Property by wronging neighbours;
Learning's wealth by easy labours;
Woman's love by cruel pride -
These are fools, self-stultified.
Likewise:
The happiness of subjects makes
The monarch gay and brave:
Nay, what would be the dancing sea
With no gem-flashing wave?
"Furthermore, for one who has enjoyed the master's favour, modesty is peculiarly proper. As the verse puts it:
According to his favoured state,
A servant's modest, humble gait
Is notably appropriate.
"Your character, however, is marked by levity. And the proverb says:
The great are firm, though battered, as before;
Great ocean is not fouled by caving shore:
For petty cause the fickle change and pass;
The gentlest breezes ruffle pliant grass.
"When all is said, it is the master's fault. For in pursuit of virtue, money, and love, he recklessly takes counsel with one like you one who lives by the mere pretence of administrative competence, in total ignorance of the six expedients and the four devices for attaining success. Yes, there is wisdom in this:
If kings are satisfied
With servants at their side
Who ply a wheedling tongue,
Whose bows are never strung,
Then kingly glory goes
Embracing manlier foes.
"Indeed, there is much sense in the story which is summed up in the familiar verse:
The counsellor whose name was Strong
Attained his dearest heart's desire:
He won the favour of his king;
He burned the naked monk with fire."
"How was that?" asked Victor. And Cheek told the story of The Monk Who Left His Body Behind.
Poor fool! Such men are true counsellors, not creatures like you, who make a living by a mere pretence of administrative competence, though quite ignorant of the ways of statecraft. Your evil conduct demonstrates an inherited lack of executive capacity. Surely, your father before you was the same kind of person. For
The character of sons
The father ever reflects:
Who, from a screw-pine tree,
An emblic fruit expects?
"While in men of learning and native dignity, an inner weakness is not detected even with the lapse of time. It remains hidden, unless of their own accord they cast dignity aside and display what is vulnerable in their minds. For
Did not the silly peacock wheel
In giddy dance at thunder's peal,
What peering effort could reveal
His nakedness?
"Since, then, you are a villain, good advice is thrown away upon you. As the saying goes:
No knife prevails against a stone;
Nor bends the unbending tree;
No good advice from Needle-Face
Helped indocility."
"How was that?" asked Victor. And Cheek told the story of The Unteachable Monkey.
For, after all,
Educating minds unfit
Cannot rescue sluggish wit,
Just as house-lamps wasted are,
Set within a covered jar.
"Plainly, you are what is known as 'worse-born.' The technical explanation runs:
Sons of four divergent kinds
Are discerned by well-trained minds:
'Born,' and 'like-born,' 'better-born';
Lastly, 'worse-born' has their scorn.
'Born' the mother's image gives;
'Like-born' like the father lives;
'Better-born' more nobly acts;
'Worse-born' morally subtracts.
"Ah, there is wisdom in the saying:
By whom far-piercing wisdom or
Great wealth or power is won
To lift the family, in him
A mother has a son.
Again:
A merely striking beauty
Is not so hard to find;
A rarer gem is wisdom,
Far-reaching power of mind.
"Yes, there is sense in the story:
Right-Mind was one, and Wrong-Mind two;
I know the tale by heart:
The son in smoke made father choke
By being super-smart."
"How was that?" asked Victor. And Cheek told the story of Right-Mind and Wrong-Mind.
After telling the story, Cheek continued: "Poor fool! By your over-subtle wisdom you have burned your own family. Yes, there is wisdom in the saying:
Rivers find their ending
In the salty sea;
Household peace, as soon as
Women disagree;
Secrets end that do not
Every traitor shun;
Families are ended
In a wicked son.
"Besides, who can trust a creature, whether human or not, that has two tongues in a single mouth? As the proverb says:
Mouths of snake and scamp
Bear a savage stamp;
Rough and ruthless still,
Only good for ill:
Where the tongue is double,
You may look for trouble.
"Consequently, your conduct makes me fearful for my own person. For
I would not trust a rascal;
His ways I understand:
The petted, pampered serpent
Will bite the feeding hand.
Again:
A fire will burn, though kindled
In fragrant sandalwood:
A rascal is a rascal,
Although his birth is good.
"After all, this is the very nature of rascals. As the proverb says:
Each self-advertising traitor,
Skilful as calumniator,
Fate condemns to ruin all
Who within his clutches fall.
Oh, any tongue in human mouth
That lends itself to slander's cant
Yet does not split a hundred times,
Is surely made of adamant.
Oh, may no evil ever befall
The lion-man who loves his kind,
Who practices a silent vow
When others' faults are in his mind.
"Ah, one must use great circumspection in making acquaintances. As the proverb says:
With the shrewd and upright man
Seek a friendship rare;
Exercise with shrewd and false
Super-heedful care;
Pity for the upright fool
Find within your heart;
If a man be fool and false,
Shun him from the start.
"Yes, your efforts have tended to the destruction not only of your own family, but, toward the last, of the master too. Since you reduce your own master to this state, other persons mean no more to you than withered grass. As the saying goes:
Where mice eat balance-beams of iron
A thousand pals in weight,
A hawk might steal an elephant;
A boy is trifling freight."
"How was that?" asked Victor. And Cheek told the story of The Mice That Ate Iron.
And Cheek continued: "Dunderhead! You have done this because you could not cheerfully see Rusty's favour bestowed on Lively. Yes, yes, there is wisdom in the saying:
Cowards reproach the hero here on earth;
Base-born rascals blame the man of birth;
Misers, him who gives whatever he can;
Misfit lovers blame the ladies' man;
Rogues, the righteous; cripples blame the straight;
Those unlucky blame the fortunate;
Last, the scholar - it's the wretched rule -
Listens to reproaches from the fool.
Again:
Learnèd men from fools have hate;
Rich, from those less fortunate;
Men of virtue, from the vicious;
Wives, from creatures meretricious.
Yet, after all:
Wise men, even, carry through
What their nature bids them do:
Nature ever will direct;
What can punishment effect?
"Instruction has value only for him who grasps what has been said once. But you are like a stone - brainless, immovable. Why waste effort to instruct you? More than that, O fool! it is a mistake even to live beside you. A disaster might someday befall me from mere association with you. As the proverb says:
To live beside a dunderhead
In house or village, town or nation,
Is evil pure and simple, though
One may escape all litigation.
Better plunge in sea or fire,
Hell or deepest pit,
Than associate with one
Quite devoid of wit.
With the bad or good consort,
Vice or virtue clings;
Just as when the breezes in
Distant wanderings
Carry odours foul or sweet
On their restless wings.
"Indeed, there is wisdom in the old story:
Two birds were we. I and the other
One father had; we had one mother.
But I was taught by hermits, while
Beef-eaters gave him training vile.
Beef-eaters' speech, O King, he heard;
I listened to the hermits' word,
Our education, good and bad,
The obvious consequences had."
"How was that?" asked Victor. And Cheek told the story of The Results of Education.
Thus mere association with you is an evil. As the proverb says:
To foes of sense, not foolish friends,
It's wiser far to cling:
The robber for his victims died;
The monkey killed the king."
"How was that?" asked Victor. And Cheek told two stories, called The Sensible Enemy and the Foolish Friend.
And Cheek continued:
"Where your sort have the final word,
By whom friends' enmities are stirred,
Whose wisdom lies in tricky traps,
All efforts end in sad mishaps.
And again:
The saint, however deep his need,
Still shuns the guilt of evil deed;
Still does the deeds that bring no shame
To honourable name and fame.
Again:
The wise in need still does the deed
That keeps his honour bright:
The shell a peacock ate and dropped,
Remains a pearly white.
And the proverb says:
Wrong is wrong; the wise man never
Wrong as right will treat:
None would drink, however thirsty,
Water in the street.
To sum it all up:
Do the right, the right, the right,
Till the breath of death;
Shun the wrong, although the right
Lead to death of breath."
Hereupon, being a tortuous-minded creature to whom a sermon advocating such moral standards was sheer poison, Victor slunk away.
At this moment Rusty and Lively, their minds blinded by rage, renewed the battle. But when Rusty had killed Lively, his wrath subsided into pity at the memory of past affection. He wiped his weeping eyes with a blood-smeared paw and penitently said: "Ah, me! It was very wrong. Lively was almost my second life. In killing him, I have only hurt myself. For the proverb says:
When bits are lost of royal land
Or servants true who understand,
The servants' loss is deadly pain;
Lost lands are quickly won again."
But Victor, the impudent, perceiving that Rusty was mastered by irresolution, slowly crept near and said: "Master, what conduct is this - to show yourself irresolute after slaying a rival? For the saying runs:
None leaves a father, brother, son,
Or bosom-friend alive
Who treasonably threatens him,
If he desires to thrive.
Likewise:
A king compassionate,
A careless magistrate,
A wilful wife, a friend
Whose thoughts to treason tend,
A guzzling Brahman, or
A sulky servitor,
With all who do not know
Their business - let them go.
Go however far to find
Honest joy;
Learn from any who is wise,
Though a boy;
Give your life, the altruist's
Bliss to win;
Cut your very arm away,
If it sin.
"And the morality of kings has nothing in common with that of ordinary men. As the proverb says:
To ruling monarchs let no trace
Of common nature cling;
For what is vice in other men,
Is virtue in a king.
And once more:
Kings' policy is fickle, like
A woman of the town:
For now it hoards its money up,
Now flings it careless down;
It's rough and flattering by turns;
'It's kind, and cruel too;
Exacting much and giving much,
At once it's false and true."
Hereupon Cheek, since Victor did not return, drew near, sat down beside the lion, and said to Victor: "Sir, you know nothing of the business of administration, since the stirring of strife means the destruction of those who had enjoyed mutual friendship. It is not the practice of genuine counsellors, when objects of ambition are attainable through conciliation, bribery, or intrigue, to advise the master to fight his own servant, so bringing him into deadly danger. As the proverb says:
The god of wealth, the god of war,
The god of water, and
The god of fire have planned to win,
Then lost the fights they planned;
For victory is not a thing
That men or gods command.
And besides:
No wisdom lies in fighting, since
It is the fools who fight;
The wise discover in wise books
What course is wise and right,
And wise books in the course that is
Not violent, delight.
"Therefore a counsellor should under no circumstances advise his master to fight. And there is another wise saying:
Where the palace harbours servants
Kindly, modest, pure,
Death to enemies, and deaf to
Avarice's lure,
Foes may struggle, but the royal
Honour is secure.
Therefore
Speak the truth, though harsh it be:
Blarney is true enmity.
And again:
Where royal servants, asked or not,
Indulge in pleasant lies
That lead the royal mind astray,
The royal glory dies.
"Furthermore, counsellors should be consulted severally by the master, who should thereupon make his own decision concerning the advice given by each, as tending to the king's loss or profit. For it happens at times that even an established fact seems otherwise to a wandering judgement. As the proverb says:
The firefly seems a fire, the sky looks flat;
Yet sky and fly are neither this nor that.
And again:
The true seem often false, the false seem true;
Appearances deceive, so think it through.
"Consequently, a master should not implicitly rely on the advice of a servant who lacks the administrative sense, inasmuch as rascally servants, for their personal profit, present matters to the master in a false light, and with bewildering eloquence. Hence, a master should undertake a matter only after full reflection. As the proverb says:
Let fit and friendly counsel first,
And more than once, be heard;
Then ponder on the plan proposed
From first to final word;
Then act, and harvest fame and wealth,
Avoiding the absurd.
"Finally, let no master suffer his mind to be twitched aside by others' counsel. Let him always be mindful of the differences in men, let him fully consider the ultimate issue, whether favourable or the reverse, of various counsels, answers, and times of action. Let him be the master, a wise master, ever cognizant of the multiform complexities of duty."
Here ends Book 1, called "The Loss of Friends."
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