Hindu literature Part 7

[9] The wife of Vishnoo, G.o.ddess of beauty and abundance.

[10] The black or Indian cuckoo.

[11] A grove where the Vedas are read and expounded.

THE PARTING OF FRIENDS

Then spake the Royal Princes to Vishnu-Sarman,

"Reverend Sir! we have listened to the 'Winning of Friends,' we would now hear how friends are parted."

"Attend, then," replied the Sage, "to 'the Parting of Friends,' the first couplet of which runs in this wise--

'The Jackal set--of knavish cunning full-- At loggerheads the Lion and the Bull.'

"How was that?" asked the sons of the Rajah.

Vishnu-Sarman proceeded to relate:--

THE STORY OF THE LION, THE JACKALS, AND THE BULL

"In the Deccan there is a city called Golden-town, and a wealthy merchant lived there named Well-to-do. He had abundant means, but as many of his relations were even yet richer, his mind was bent: upon outdoing them by gaining more. Enough is never what we have--

'Looking down on lives below them, men of little store are great; Looking up to higher fortunes, hard to each man seems his fate.'

And is not wealth won by courage and enterprise?--

'As a bride, unwisely wedded, shuns the cold caress of eld, So, from coward souls and slothful, Lakshmi's favors turn repelled.'

'Ease, ill-health, home-keeping, sleeping, woman-service, and content-- In the path that leads to greatness these be six obstructions sent.'

And wealth that increases not, diminishes--a little gain is so far good--

'Seeing how the soorma wasteth, seeing how the ant-hill grows, Little adding unto little--live, give, learn, as life-time goes.'

'Drops of water falling, falling, falling, brim the chatty o'er; Wisdom comes in little lessons--little gains make largest store.'

Moved by these reflections Well-to-do loaded a cart with wares of all kinds, yoked two bulls to it, named l.u.s.ty-life and Roarer, and started for Kashmir to trade. He had not gone far upon his journey when in pa.s.sing through a great forest called Bramble-wood, l.u.s.ty-life slipped down and broke his foreleg. At sight of this disaster Well-to-do fell a-thinking, and repeated--

'Men their cunning schemes may spin-- G.o.d knows who shall lose or win.'

Comforting himself with such philosophy, Well-to-do left l.u.s.ty-life there, and went on his way. The Bull watched him depart, and stood mournfully on three legs, alone in the forest. 'Well, well,' he thought, 'it is all destiny whether I live or die:--

'Shoot a hundred shafts, the quarry lives and flies--not due to death; When his hour is come, a gra.s.s-blade hath a point to stop his breath.'

As the days pa.s.sed by, and l.u.s.ty-life picked about in the tender forest gra.s.s, he grew wonderfully well, and fat of carcase, and happy, and bellowed about the wood as though it were his own. Now, the reigning monarch of the forest was King Tawny-hide the Lion, who ruled over the whole country absolutely, by right of having deposed everybody else. Is not might right?--

'Robes were none, nor oil of unction, when the King of Beasts was crowned:-- 'Twas his own fierce roar proclaimed him, rolling all his kingdom round.'

One morning, his Majesty, being exceedingly thirsty, had repaired to the bank of the Jumna to drink water, and just as he was about to lap it, the bellow of l.u.s.ty-life, awful as the thunder of the last day, reached the imperial ears. Upon catching the sound the King retreated in trepidation to his own lair, without drinking a drop, and stood there in silence and alarm revolving what it could mean. In this position he was observed by the sons of his minister, two jackals named Karataka and Damanaka, who began to remark upon it.

'Friend Karataka,' said the last,'what makes our royal master slink away from the river when he was dying to drink?'

'Why should we care?' replied Karataka. 'It's bad enough to serve him, and be neglected for our pains--

'Oh, the bitter salt of service!--toil, frost, fire, are not so keen:-- Half such heavy penance bearing, tender consciences were clean.'

'Nay, friend! never think thus,' said Damanaka--

'What but for their va.s.sals, Elephant and man-- Swing of golden ta.s.sels, Wave of silken fan-- But for regal manner That the "Chattra"[12] brings, Horse, and foot, and banner-- What would come of kings?'

'I care not,' replied Karataka; 'we have nothing to do with it, and matters that don't concern us are best left alone. You know the story of the Monkey, don't you?'--

'The Monkey drew the sawyer's wedge, and died:-- Let meddlers mark it, and be edified.'

'No!' said Damanaka. 'How was it?'

'In this way,' answered Karataka:--

THE STORY OF THE MONKEY AND THE WEDGE

"In South Behar, close by the retreat of Dhurmma, there was an open plot of ground, upon which a temple was in course of erection, under the management of a man of the Kayeth caste, named Subhadatta. A carpenter upon the works had partly sawed through a long beam of wood, and wedged it open, and was gone away, leaving the wedge fixed. Shortly afterwards a large herd of monkeys came frolicking that way, and one of their number, directed doubtless by the Angel of death, got astride the beam, and grasped the wedge, with his tail and lower parts dangling down between the pieces of the wood. Not content with this, in the mischief natural to monkeys, he began to tug at the wedge; till at last it yielded to a great effort and came out; when the wood closed upon him, and jammed him all fast. So perished the monkey, miserably crushed; and I say again--

'Let meddlers mark it, and be edified.'

'But surely,' argued Damanaka, 'servants are bound to watch the movements of their masters!'

'Let the prime minister do it, then,' answered Karataka; 'it is his business to overlook things, and subordinates shouldn't interfere in the department of their chief. You might get a.s.s's thanks for it--

'The a.s.s that hee-hawed, when the dog should do it, For his lord's welfare, like an a.s.s did rue it.'

Damanaka asked how that happened, and Karataka related:--

THE STORY OF THE WASHERMAN'S JACKa.s.s

"There was a certain Washerman at Benares, whose name was Carpurapataka, and he had an a.s.s and a Dog in his courtyard; the first tethered, and the last roaming loose. Once on a time, when he had been spending his morning in the society of his wife, whom he had just married, and had fallen to sleep in her arms, a robber entered the house, and began to carry off his goods. The a.s.s observed the occupation of the thief, and was much concerned.

'Good Dog,' said he, 'this is thy matter: why dost thou not bark aloud, and rouse the master?'

'Gossip a.s.s,' replied the Dog, 'leave me alone to guard the premises. I can do it, if I choose; but the truth is, this master of ours thinks himself so safe lately that he clean forgets me, and I don't find my allowance of food nearly regular enough. Masters will do so; and a little fright will put him in mind of his defenders again.'

'Thou scurvy cur!' exclaimed the a.s.s--