The Kathá Sarit Ságara; or, Ocean of the Streams of Story
and fastening firmly round it, prevented that snake from going on. The
consequence was that the snake considered this head very powerful,
as it had vanquished the head in front. And so the snake roamed about
with his blind head foremost, and in a hole he fell into fire, owing
to his not being able to see the way, and so he was burnt. [123]
Story of the fool who was nearly choked with rice.
"So those foolish people, many in number, who are quite at home in
a small accomplishment, through their attachment to this unimportant
accomplishment, are brought to ruin."
"Hear now about the fool who ate the grains of rice."
A certain foolish person came for the first time to his father-in-law's
house, and there he saw some white grains of rice, which his
mother-in-law had put down to be cooked, and he put a handful of
them into his mouth, meaning to eat them. And his mother-in-law
came in that very moment. Then the foolish man was so ashamed, that
he could not swallow the grains of rice, nor bring them up. And his
mother-in law, seeing that his throat was swollen and distended, and
that he was speechless, was afraid that he was ill, and summoned her
husband. And he, when he saw his state, quickly brought the physician,
and the physician, fearing that there was an internal tumour, seized
the head of that fool and opened his jaw. [124] Then the grains of
rice came out, and all those present laughed.
"Thus a fool does an unseemly act, and does not know how to conceal
it."
Story of the boys that milked the donkey. [125]
Certain foolish boys, having observed the process of milking in the
case of cows, got a donkey, and having surrounded it, proceeded to
milk it vigorously. One milked and another held the milk-pail, and
there was great emulation among them, as to who should first drink
the milk. And yet they did not obtain milk, though they laboured hard.
"The fact is, prince, a fool, who spends his labour on a chimera,
makes himself ridiculous."
Story of the foolish boy that went to the village for nothing.
There was a certain foolish son of a Bráhman, and his father said
to him one evening, "My son, you must go to the village early
to-morrow." Having heard this, he set out in the morning, without
asking his father what he was to do, and went to the village without
any object, and came back in the evening fatigued. He said to his
father, "I have been to the village." "Yes, but you have not done
any good by it," answered his father.
"So a fool, who acts without an object, becomes the laughing-stock
of people generally; he suffers fatigue, but does not do any
good." When the son of the king of Vatsa had heard from Gomukha,
his chief minister, this series of tales, rich in instruction,
and had declared that he was longing to obtain Saktiyasas, and had
perceived that the night was far spent, he closed his eyes in sleep,
and reposed surrounded by his ministers.
CHAPTER LXIV.
Then, the next evening, as Naraváhanadatta was again in his private
apartment, longing for union with his beloved, at his request Gomukha
told the following series of tales to amuse him.
Story of the Bráhman and the mungoose. [126]
There was in a certain village a Bráhman, named Devasarman; and he
had a wife of equally high birth, named Yajnadattá. And she became
pregnant, and in time gave birth to a son, and the Bráhman, though
poor, thought he had obtained a treasure in him. And when she had given
birth to the child, the Bráhman's wife went to the river to bathe, but
Devasarman remained in the house, taking care of his infant son. In
the meanwhile a maid came from the womens' apartments of the palace
to summon that Bráhman, who lived on presents received for performing
inauguratory ceremonies. Then he, eager for a fee, went off to the
palace, leaving a mungoose, which he had brought up from its birth,
to guard his child. After he had gone, a snake suddenly came near the
child, and the mungoose, seeing it, killed it out of love for his
master. Then the mungoose saw Devasarman returning at a distance,
and delighted, ran out to meet him, all stained with the blood of
the snake. And Devasarman, when he saw its appearance, felt certain
that it had killed his young child, and, in his agitation killed it
with a stone. But when he went into the house, and saw the snake
killed by the mungoose, and his boy alive, he repented of what he
had done. And when his wife returned and heard what had happened,
she reproached him, saying, "Why did you inconsiderately kill the
mungoose, which had done you a good turn?"
"Therefore a wise man, prince, should never do anything rashly. For a
person who acts rashly is destroyed in both worlds. And one who does
anything contrary to the prescribed method, obtains a result which
is the opposite of that desired."
Story of the fool that was his own doctor.
For instance, there was a man suffering from flatulence. And once
on a time the doctor gave him a medicine, to be used as a clyster,
and said to him, "Go to your house, and bruise this, and wait till
I come." The physician, after giving this order, delayed a little,
and in the meanwhile the fool, having reduced the drug to powder,
mixed it with water and drank it. That made him very ill, and when
the doctor came, he had to give him an emetic, and with difficulty
brought him round, when he was at the point of death. And he scolded
his patient, saying to him, "A clyster is not meant to be drunk, but
must be administered in the proper way. Why did you not wait for me?"
"So an action, useful in itself, if done contrary to rule, has bad
effects. Therefore a wise man should do nothing contrary to rule. And
the man, who acts without consideration, does what is wrong, and
immediately incurs reproach."
Story of the fool who mistook hermits for monkeys.
For instance, there was in a certain place a foolish man. He was
once going to a foreign country, accompanied by his son, and when
the caravan encamped in the forest, the boy entered the wood to amuse
himself. There he was scratched by monkeys, and with difficulty escaped
with life, and when his father asked him what had happened, the silly
boy, not knowing what monkeys were, said; "I was scratched in this
wood by some hairy creatures that live on fruits." When the father
heard it, he drew his sword in a rage, and went to that wood. And
seeing some ascetics with long matted hair, picking fruits there,
he ran towards them, saying to himself, "Those hairy rascals injured
my son." But a certain traveller there prevented him from killing
them, by saying; "I saw some monkeys scratch your son; do not kill
the hermits." So by good luck he was saved from committing a crime,
and returned to the caravan.
"So a wise man should never act without reflection. What is ever
likely to go wrong with a man who reflects? But the thoughtless are
always ruined and made the objects of public ridicule."
Story of the fool who found a purse.
For instance, a certain poor man, going on a journey, found a bag of
gold, that had been dropped by the head of a caravan. The fool, the
moment he found it, instead of going away, stood still where he was,
and began to count the gold. In the meanwhile the merchant, who was on
horseback, discovered his loss, and galloping back, he saw the bag of
gold in the poor man's possession, and took it away from him. So he
lost his wealth as soon as he got it, and went on his way sorrowful,
with his face fixed on the ground.
"Fools lose wealth as soon as they get it."
Story of the fool who looked for the moon.
A certain foolish man, who wished to see the new moon, was told by a
man who saw it, to look in the direction of his finger. He averted
his eyes from the sky, and stood staring at his friend's finger,
and so did not see the new moon, but saw the people laughing at him.
"Wisdom accomplishes the impossible, hear a story in proof of it."
Story of the woman who escaped from the monkey and the cowherd.
A certain woman set out alone to go to another village. And on the way
a monkey suddenly came and tried to lay hold of her, but she avoided
it by going to a tree and dodging round it. The foolish monkey threw
its arms round the tree, and she laid hold of its arms with her hands,
and pressed them against the tree.
The monkey, which was held tight, became furious, but at that moment
the woman saw a cowherd coming that way, and said to him; "Sir, hold
this ape by the arms a moment, until I can arrange my dress and hair,
which are disordered." He said, "I will do so, if you promise to
grant me your love," and she consented. And he held the monkey. Then
she drew his dagger and killed the monkey, and said to the cowherd,
"Come to a lonely spot," and so took him a long distance. At last they
fell in with some travellers, so she left him and went with them to the
village that she wished to reach, having avoided outrage by her wisdom.
"So you see that wisdom is in this world the principal support of
men; the man who is poor in wealth lives, but the man who is poor in
intellect does not live. Now hear, prince, this romantic wonderful
tale."
Story of the two thieves, Ghata and Karpara. [127]
There were in a certain city two thieves, named Ghata and Karpara. One
night Karpara left Ghata outside the palace, and breaking through the
wall, entered the bedchamber of the princess. And the princess, who
could not sleep, saw him there in a corner, and suddenly falling in
love with him, called him to her. And she gave him wealth, and said
to him; "I will give you much more if you come again." Then Karpara
went out, and told Ghata what had happened, and gave him the wealth,
and having thus got hold of the king's property, sent him home. But
he himself again entered the women's apartments of the palace; who,
that is attracted by love and covetousness, thinks of death? There he
remained with the princess, and bewildered with love and wine, he fell
asleep, and did not observe that the night was at an end. And in the
morning the guards of the women's apartments entered, and made him
prisoner, and informed the king, and he in his anger ordered him to
be put to death. "While he was being led to the place of execution,
his friend Ghata came to look for him, as he had not returned in
the course of the night. Then Karpara saw Ghata, and made a sign to
him that he was to carry off and take care of the princess. And he
answered by a sign that he would do so. Then Karpara was led away
by the executioners, and being at their mercy, was quickly hanged up
upon a tree, and so executed.
Then Ghata went home, sorrowing for his friend, and as soon as
night arrived, he dug a mine and entered the apartment of the
princess. Seeing her in fetters there alone, he went up to her and
said; "I am the friend of Karpara, who was to-day put to death on
account of you. And out of love for him I am come here to carry you
off, so come along, before your father does you an injury." Thereupon
she consented joyfully, and he removed her bonds. Then he went out
with her, who at once committed herself to his care, by the underground
passage he had made, and returned to his own house.
And next morning the king heard that his own daughter had been carried
off by some one, who had dug a secret mine, and that king thought
to himself, "Undoubtedly that wicked man whom I punished has some
audacious friend, who has carried off my daughter in this way." So he
set his servants to watch the body of Karpara, and he said to them,
"You must arrest any one who may come here lamenting, to burn the
corpse and perform the other rites, and so I shall recover that wicked
girl who has disgraced her family." When those guards had received