‘CROWS AND OWLS 151 that he is unable to feed even one guest? So, what I shall do is sacrifice this sorrowful body of mine and make myself useful, then I shall not have to admit that I turned a guest away hungry from my doo) “And so, the dove put all the blame on himself and said not a word of reproach to the hunter. Then he said, ‘Just wait a moment, soon I shall satisfy your hunger.’ When he had said this, with joy in his heart, the pious bird flew once round the fire and then entered it, as if it had been his own nest. “When the hunter saw all this, his heart was moved with pity and he said, ‘The mind of a man who lives wickedly is always in turmoil and ultimately he has to pay for his evil actions. I, as a result of all my sins, will undoubtedly go to-hell. But this virtuous dove has set an ideal before me. From today on, I shall give up all my pleasures and lead a life of discipline.’ “And so the hunter threw away his net, released the unfortunate female dove and broke the cage into pieces. “When the female dove saw her husband burnt in the fire, she began to wail and sob pitifully. ‘Oh, My Lord!’ she cried, ‘What is the good of living without you? Widowhood results in loss of pride, loss of respect in the household and loss of authority over servants. “And so, heart-broken and crying pitifully, the devoted wife flew into the very same flames. “Some time after her earthly death, the female dove saw her husband transformed into a divine creature. He was riding a chariot and wearing costly ornaments. The female dove found that she too had assumed a divine form and she went to her husband, ‘My virtuous wife,’ said the male dove, ‘you have done well in following me.” “And, as for the hunter, he renounced everything and began to live in the forest as a Tapasvi. His mind became free of all desires. One'day, he saw a forest fire in front of him. He walked into it and his body was burnt. Thus he paid for his sins and entered heaven with great152 PANCHATANTRA Joy. —"And so,” continued Kruraksha, “that's why I said, ‘A dove entertained an enemy Who came to him for protection And even went so far As to give his own flesh to him to eat. ‘When Arimaradana, the owl. king, had heard Kruraksha’s advice, he turned to Deeptaksha and asked him, “My dear fellow, what would you advise, under the circumstances?” —"My Lord,” he replied. “this crow should not be killed, for he may prove beneficial to us by exposing the weaknesses of his own clan. As they say: ‘Even a thief proved beneficial To an old man!’ ” —"How was that?” asked Arimaradana. And Deeptaksha told:CROWS AND OWLS 153 THE STORY OF THE OLD MERCHANT, HIS YOUNG WIFE AND THE THIEF “In a certain town, there lived an old merchant, by the name of Kamatura*. After the death of his wife, he became so love-sick that he gave a lot of money to another merchant, so that he could marry his young daughter. However, his new wife was very unhappy and would not even look at her old husband. This is quite understandable, as they say: "Young girls reject 2 man whose hair have turned grey, They shrink from a limp and bent body.’ “Now, one night, as the young wife was lying in bed with her face turned away from ‘her husband, a thief crept into the house. The girl was so terrified when she saw him that she turned and clasped her husband fervently. The old man was delighted beyond words but. thought to himself, ‘I wonder how it is that she is hugging me so tight.’ He was peering cautiously about the room when he caught sight of the thief in the corner, Then he realised that she was hugging him because she was afraid of the thief. He cried out to the thief, ‘My benefactor! Thank you! This woman was avoiding me but today she is hugging me lovingly in her arms! My good fellow, take away whatever you want!” —Well,’ replied the thief, ‘I can't see anything here worth stealing at the moment but I'll come back some other time to try my luck and to oblige you, in case your wife does not continue to behave lovingly towards continued Deeptaksha, “that’s why I said, ‘even a thief proved beneficial to an old man.’ So why shouldn't this crow, who is seeking protection, be beneficial to us? The other crows have treated him badly, so he will certainly tell us their weak points.154 PANCHATANTRA Under no circumstances should he be killed.” When Arimaradana had heard Deeptaksha's advice, he turned to Vakranasa and said to him, “My dear fellow, what would you suggest under the circumstances?” —"My Lord,” he replied, “this crow should not be killed, for they say: ‘If discord arises between your enemies, You stand to benefit: In the same way, the thief and the Rakshasa* quarrelled And the Brahmin saved his life and his calves as well —"How was that?” asked Arimaradana, And Vakranasa toldCROWS AND OWLS 155 THE STORY OF THE BRAHMIN, THE THIEF AND THE RAKSHASA “In a certain town, lived a Brahmin named Drona*. He gave up wearing fine clothes, using perfumes and all the other luxuries of life. His hair and nails grew long and his body lean, due to rigorous discipline in the cold, hot and rainy seasons. “A certain devotee of his, out of sheer pity, presented him with a pair of young calves. Right’ from the beginning, he fed them on butter, oil and grain, and they grew fat. “A thief saw these two calves and he thought to himself, ‘This very day, I shall steal away these two calves belonging to the Brahim. So he took a rope to tie them up and started off. “On the way, he met a Rakshasa of hideous appearance. His teeth stuck out of his mouth, his nose was long, his eyes burnt frighteningly with fire, he had knotty muscles and a glowing red beard. “When the thief saw him, he got frightened and said; ‘Who are you?" "Iam a Rakshasa called Satyavachana*,’ replied the Rakshasa. ‘Now you too introduce yourself. T'm a thief called Krurakarma*,’ replied the thief, ‘and I am on my way to steal two calves from a poor Brahmin.’ : ““Because both spoke the truth, the two of them developed faith in each other. The Rakshasa said to the thief, ‘I'ni extremely hungry today, I think I shall eat that Brahmin. “As you are going to steal his calves, it's a very good thing, for our work will be accomplished at the same place’ And so they started off together. When they reached the Brahmin’s home, they slipped inside and hid themselves, waiting for an opportune moment. “When the Brahmin fell asleep, the Rakshasa got ready156 PANCHATANTRA to eat him but the thief restrained him and said, ‘That's not fair! You have to wait until I have taken the calves! Otherwise, if he wakes up when you are about to eat him, my gbject will be defeated’ —On the contrary,’ retorted the Rakshasa, ‘if the calves cry out when you are leading them away and the Brahmin wakes up, I shall be the loser!” “Because of the hot argument that developed between the two, the Brahmin did wake up. Then, the thief said to the Brahfnin, ‘Brahmin, this Rakshasa wants to eat you: And the Rakshasa said, ‘Br&hmin, this thief wants to steal your calves.” “Now, the Brahmin became very wide awake and prayed to his chosen deity, whereupon the Rakshasa ran off, The Brahmin picked up a stick and chased the thief away. —"And so,” continued Vakranasa, “that’s why I said, ‘If discord arises between your enemies, You stand to benefit: In the same way, the thief and the Rakshasa quarrelled And the Brahmin saved his life and his calves as well” When Arimaradana heard what Vakranasa had to say, he turned to Prakarakarna and asked him, “Tell me, what is your point of view?” 'y Lord,” he replied, “this crow should not be killed. Perhaps a friendship will develop between him and us and we shall live very happily together, for’ they say: ‘Those who refuse to co-operate, . Shall be destroyed like the two snakes’ ” —"How was that?” asked Arimaradana. And Prakarakarna told:CROWS AND OWLS 187 THE STORY OF THE SNAKE IN THE ANT-HILL AND THE SNAKE IN THE BELLY OF THE PRINCE “In a certain town, there lived a king, by the name of Devashakti*. He had a son who grew leaner and leaner everyday, for he had a snake in his stomach. In spite of several treatments by well-known physicians, he was not cured at all. Thoroughly fed up with his life, thé prince went to another town, where he lived in a temple and maintained himself by begging alms. “Now the king of that country had two young daughters. Everyday, at sunrise, they would approach their father and bow at his feet. One would say, ‘My Lord, with your blessings, all joys-are bestowed upon us’ The other would say, ‘Your Majesty, one only gets the fruits of one’s actions.” “One day, the king got very angry with his second daughter and said to his ministers, ‘Give this girl of mine away in marriage to any stranger you come across, so,that she gets the fruits of her actions.’ —'It will be done, Your Majesty,’ replied the ministers. “Now, in their search for a stranger, the ministers came across this prince, who was living in the temple, and they married off the princess to him. “The princess was very happy with the marriage and looked upon her husband as God. Shortly after their marriage, the prince and princess set out for another part of the country. On the way, the princess left her husband to rest under a tree and went into the nearby town to buy oil, salt, rice and other provisions. After making the necessary purchases, she returned to find the prince fast asleep. “Suddenly, she saw a snake emerging from the prince's mouth and yet another from an ant-hill near by. Now both these snakes had come out for fresh air. When they saw each other, they got very annoyed. ‘You wicked creature!’ said the ant-hill snake to the other. ‘Why are158 PANCHATANTRA you torturing this handsome prince? If he would only drink a gruel, made of cummin seed and mustard, you would surely be dead!’ —'Well; replied the other, ‘you, too, could be destroyed, if someone poured hot water or hot oil on the ant-hill, ‘Then he could get the two pots of gold that you ure guarding, “The princess, who was standing behind a tree, heard their argument and came to know their secrets. She acted accordingly. As a result, her husband recovered his health and, at the same time, they had two pots of gold to themselves. "And so,” continued Prakarakarna, “that’s why I said, “Those who refuse to co-operate, Shall be destroyed like the two snakes’ When Arimaradana, the owl king, had heard Prakarakarna’s advice, he finally agreed that the crow should not be killed. Then Raktaksha said to the other ministers with a smile, "Through your lack of understanding,» some disaster is bound to befall the master. I repeat once again, the crow must be killed!” But in spite of so much opposition from Raktaksha, the owls did not listen and took the crow to their cave. On the way, the crow suddenly cried out, “Oh, what is the use of this miserable life? I shall end it by entering the fire, Please don't stop mel” —"Why do you intend entering fire?” asked Raktaksha —"Well,” replied Sthirajeevi, “I have been reduced to this plight by Meghavarana, because of you. Now, I should like to be reborn an owl, so that I can have my revenge on him." Now, Raktaksha was an expert in the nitishastras and so he said to the crow, “You speak very charmingly but you are crooked! Even if you were reborn an owl, you would still be a crow at heart. As the story goes: “Turning down the offers of marriage Made by the Sun God, the Cloud, the Lord of theCROWS AND OWLS 159 Wind, and the Mountain, ‘A female mouse chose a husband of her own kind.’ " —"How was that?” asked the others. And Raktaksha told:160 PANCHATANTRA THE STORY OF THE FEMALE MOUSE “On the bank of the river Ganga®, there was a beautiful ashrama. The water from the river gushed down on rocks, making a tremendous noise, which frightened the fishes. It whirled round and round, and the water was a mass of foam. "Now, in this ashrama lived Tapasvis, who were always absorbed in meditation. Their bodies had grown lean with fasting, penance and rigorous self-discipline. They ate roots and fruits and drank only holy water from the Ganga. They wore clothes made of bark. “The Kulapati* of this ashrama was one Yadnyavalkya*, One day, while he was bathing in the holy water of the Ganga and offering his prayers, a mouse, dropped by a hawk, fell into his hands. Yadnyavalkya plucked a leaf from a nearby banyan tree and put the mouse on it Then he took a second bath, to purify himself, because he had been contaminated by touching the mouse. By the power of meditation, he transformed the female mouse into a litte girl. Then he took her home to the ashrama and said to his wife, ‘My dear wife, we have no child of our own, so please take this little girl and bring her up carefully, as our own daughter.’ “And so, the child was brought up with great care until she attained the age of twelve. When Yadnyavalkya’s wife noticed that the girl had reached the marriageable age, she said to her husband, ‘My dear husband, the time for our daughter's marriage is slipping by. Please give it a serious thought’ —'You are right,’ he replied. ‘I shall give her to someone who really deserves her. They say: “Enter into marriage ties and friendship Only with those who are, socially and financially, Your equals.” . And, “A wise man should give his daughter in marriage‘CROWS AND OWLS 16) To someone who fulfils the following seven requirements: Good family, good character, the capability to look after a family, Education, wealth, physical fitness and suitable age.” —And 50, if the girl agrees, I shall summon Ravit and give her to him. Yes,’ replied his wife, ‘please do that’ “By the power of invocation, Yadnyavalkya summoned the Sun God to him, In a moment he appeared before him and said, ‘Maharishi*, why have you called me?’ —'Here is my daughter,’ replied Yadnyavalkya, ‘If she willing to marry you, please accept her hand.’ “Then he asked his daughter, ‘Do you accept the Sun God, who lights up the worlds?” —'Father,' she replied, ‘he is too fiery-tempered. I don't want to marry him. Find me someone better!" “So, the Rishi said to the Sun God, ‘My Lord, is there anyone better than you?" —'Yes, replied the Sun God, ‘Megha* is superior to me, for when he covers me, I am_no longer visible.’ “And so the invited the Cloud and asked his daughter, ‘My child, may I offer your hand to the Cloud?” —'Father; she replied, ‘he is dark and too cold. I don’t want to marry him. Find me someone better!" “So, the Rishi said to Megha, ‘Oh Cloud, is there anyone better than-you? —'Yes;' replied thie Cloud, ‘Vayu* is superior to me, for he makes me drift’ “And so, the Rishi invited the Lord of the Wind and said to his daughter, 'What do you say to him?” —'Father,’ she replied, ‘he is very, changeable. I don’t want to marry him, Find me someone better. “So, the Rishi said to the Lord of the Wind, ‘My, Lord, is there anyone better than you” —'Yes,’ replied the Lord of the Wind. ‘The Mountain is superior to me, for, although I am strong, he prevents