The Kathá Sarit Ságara; or, Ocean of the Streams of Story
even in emergencies, desert their principles, even the gods protect
them and cause them to attain their objects." Naraváhanadatta,
while longing for his beloved Saktiyasas, was much delighted with
this marvellous story told by Vasantaka; but having been summoned
by his father at the dinner hour, he went to his palace with his
ministers. There he took the requisite refreshment, and returned
to his palace, with Gomukha and his other ministers. Then Gomukha,
in order to amuse him, again said,--"Listen, prince, I will tell you
another string of tales."
Story of the monkey and the porpoise. [114]
There lived in a forest of udumbaras, on the shore of the sea, a king
of monkeys, named Valímukha, who had strayed from his troop. While he
was eating an udumbara fruit, it fell from his hand and was devoured
by a porpoise that lived in the water of the sea. The porpoise,
delighted at the taste of the fruit, uttered a melodious sound, which
pleased the monkey so much, that he threw him many more fruits. And
so the monkey went on throwing fruits, [115] and the porpoise went
on making a melodious sound, until a friendship sprang up between
them. So every day the porpoise spent the day in the water near the
monkey, who remained on the bank, and in the evening he went home.
Then the wife of the porpoise came to learn the facts, and as she did
not approve of the friendship between the monkey and her husband, which
caused the latter to be absent all day, she pretended to be ill. Then
the porpoise was afflicted, and asked his wife again and again what
was the nature of her sickness, and what would cure it. Though he
importuned her persistently, she would give no answer, but at last a
female confidante of hers said to him: "Although you will not do it,
and she does not wish you to do it, still I must speak. How can a
wise person conceal sorrow from friends? A violent disease has seized
your wife, of such a kind that it cannot be cured without soup made
of the lotus-like heart of a monkey." [116] When the porpoise heard
this from his wife's confidante, he reflected;--"Alas! how shall I
obtain the lotus-like heart of a monkey? Is it right for me to plot
treachery against the monkey, who is my friend? On the other hand
how else can I cure my wife, whom I love more than my life?" When the
porpoise had thus reflected, he said to his wife; "I will bring you
a whole monkey, my dear, do not be unhappy." When he had said this,
he went to his friend the monkey, and said to him, after he had got
into conversation; "Up to this day you have never seen my home and
my wife; so come, let us go and rest there one day. Friendship is
but hollow, when friends do not go without ceremony and eat at one
another's houses, and introduce their wives to one another." With
these words the porpoise beguiled the monkey, and induced him to come
down into the water, and took him on his back and set out. And as he
was going along, the monkey saw that he was troubled and confused,
and said, "My friend, you seem to be altered to-day." And when he
went on persistently enquiring the reason, the stupid porpoise,
thinking that the ape was in his power, said to him; "The fact is,
my wife is ill, and she has been asking me for the heart of a monkey
to be used as a remedy; that is why I am in low spirits to-day." When
the wise monkey heard this speech of his, he reflected, "Ah! This is
why the villain has brought me here! Alas! this fellow is overpowered
by infatuation for a female, and is ready to plot treachery against
his friend. Will not a person possessed by a demon eat his own flesh
with his teeth?" After the monkey had thus reflected, he said to the
porpoise; "If this is the case, why did you not inform me of this
before, my friend? I will go and get my heart for your wife. For I
have at present left it on the udumbara-tree on which I live. [117]
When the silly porpoise heard this, he was sorry and he said; "Then
bring it, my friend, from the udumbara-tree." And thereupon the
porpoise took him back to the shore of the sea. When he got there,
he bounded up the bank, as if he had just escaped from the grasp of
death, and climbing up to the top of the tree, said to that porpoise,
"Off with you, you fool! Does any animal keep his heart outside his
body? However, by this artifice I have saved my life, and I will not
return to you. Have you not heard, my friend, the story of the ass?"
Story of the sick lion, the jackal, and the ass. [118]
There lived in a certain forest a lion, who had a jackal for a
minister. A certain king, who had gone to hunt, once found him, and
wounded him so sorely with his weapons, that he with difficulty escaped
to his den alive. When the king was gone, the lion still remained in
the den, and his minister, the jackal, who lived on his leavings, being
exhausted for want of food, said to him; "My lord, why do you not go
out and seek for food to the best of your ability, for your own body
is being famished as well as your attendants?" When the jackal said
this to the lion, he answered; "My friend, I am exhausted with wounds,
and I cannot roam about outside my den. If I could get the heart and
ears of a donkey to eat, my wounds would heal, and I should recover my
former health. So go and bring me a donkey quickly from somewhere or
other." The jackal agreed to do so and sallied out. As he was wandering
about, he found a washerman's ass in a solitary place, and he went up
to him, and said in a friendly way; "Why are you so exhausted?" The
donkey answered, "I am reduced by perpetually carrying this washerman's
load." The jackal said, "Why do you endure all this toil? Come with
me and I will take you to a forest as delightful as Heaven, where you
may grow fat in the society of she-asses." When the donkey, who was
longing for enjoyment, heard this, he went to the forest, in which
that lion ranged, in the company of that jackal. And when the lion
saw him, being weak from impaired vitality, he only gave him a blow
with his paw behind, and the donkey, being wounded by the blow, was
terrified and fled immediately, and did not come near the lion again,
and the lion fell down confused and bewildered. And then the lion,
not having accomplished his object, hastily returned to his den. Then
the jackal, his minister, said to him reproachfully; "My lord, if you
could not kill this miserable donkey, what chance is there of your
killing deer and other animals?" Then the lion said to him, "If you
know how, bring that donkey again. I will be ready and kill him."
When the lion had despatched the jackal with these words, he went
to the donkey and said; "Why did you run away, sir? And the donkey
answered, "I received a blow from some creature." Then the jackal
laughed and said, "You must have experienced a delusion. There is no
such creature there, for I, weak as I am, dwell there, in safety. So
come along with me to that forest, where pleasure is without
restraint." [119] When he said this, the donkey was deluded, and
returned to the forest. And as soon as the lion saw him, he came out
of his den, and springing on him from behind, tore him with his claws
and killed him. And the lion, after he had divided the donkey, placed
the jackal to guard it, and being fatigued, went away to bathe. And
in the meanwhile the deceitful jackal devoured the heart and ears of
that donkey, to gratify his appetite. The lion, after bathing, came
back, and perceiving the donkey in this condition, asked the jackal
where its ears and heart were. The jackal answered him; "The creature
never possessed ears or a heart,--otherwise how could he have returned
when he had once escaped?" When the lion heard that, he believed it,
and ate his flesh, and the jackal devoured what remained over.
When the ape had told this tale, he said again to the porpoise; "I
will not come again, why should I behave like the jackass." When the
porpoise heard this from the monkey, he returned home, grieving that he
had through his folly failed to execute his wife's commission, while
he had lost a friend. But his wife recovered her former tranquillity,
on account of the termination of her husband's friendship with the
ape. And the ape lived happily on the shore of the sea.
"So a wise person should place no confidence in a wicked person. How
can he, who confides in a wicked person or a black cobra, enjoy
prosperity?" When Gomukha had told this story, he again said to
Naraváhanadatta, to amuse him; "Now hear in succession about the
following ridiculous fools. Hear first about the fool who rewarded
the minstrel."
Story of the fool who gave a verbal reward to the musician. [120]
A certain musician once gave great pleasure to a rich man, by
singing and playing before him. He thereupon called his treasurer,
and said in the hearing of the musician, "Give this man two thousand
panas." The treasurer said, "I will do so," and went out. Then the
minstrel went and asked him for those panas. But the treasurer,
who had an understanding with his master, refused to give them.
Then the musician came and asked the rich man for the panas, but he
said; "What did you give me, that I should make you a return? You gave
a short-lived pleasure to my ears by playing on the lyre, and I gave
a short-lived pleasure to your ears by promising you money." When
the musician heard that, he despaired of his payment, laughed, and
went home.
"Would not that speech of the miser's make even a stone laugh? And now,
prince, hear the story of the two foolish pupils."
Story of the teacher and his two jealous pupils. [121]
A certain teacher had two pupils who were jealous of one another. And
one of those pupils washed and anointed every day the right foot of
his instructor, and the other did the same to the left foot. Now it
happened that one day the pupil, whose business it was to anoint the
right foot, had been sent to the village, so the teacher said to the
second pupil, whose business it was to anoint the left foot,--"To-day
you must wash and anoint my right foot also." When the foolish pupil
received this order, he coolly said to his teacher; "I cannot anoint
this foot that belongs to my rival." When he said this, the teacher
insisted. Then that pupil, who was the very opposite of a good pupil,
took hold of his teacher's foot in a passion, and exerting great force,
broke it. Then the teacher uttered a cry of pain, and the other pupils
came in and beat that wicked pupil, but he was rescued from them by
that teacher, who felt sorry for him.
The next day, the other pupil came back from the village, and when he
saw the injury that had been done to his teacher's foot, he asked the
history of it, and then he was inflamed with rage, and he said, "Why
should I not break the foot that belongs to that enemy of mine?" So he
laid hold of the teacher's second leg, and broke it. Then the others
began to beat that wicked pupil, but the teacher, both of whose legs
were broken, in compassion begged him off too. Then those two pupils
departed, laughed to scorn by the whole country, but their teacher,
who deserved so much credit for his patient temper, gradually got well.
Thus foolish attendants, by quarrelling with one another, ruin their
master's interests, and do not reap any advantage for themselves. Hear
the story of the two-headed serpent.
Story of the snake with two heads. [122]
A certain snake had two heads, one in the usual place and one in his
tail. But the head, that he had in his tail, was blind, the head,
that was in the usual place, was furnished with eyes. And there was a
quarrel between them, each saying that it was the principal head. Now
the serpent usually roamed about with his real head foremost. But
once on a time the head in the tail caught hold of a piece of wood,