……From Part 1 – Chitragreev asked all the pigeons to fly to the banks of the Gandaki river where his friend Hiranyaka the mouse lived to get his help in cutting the net.
Continued….
While flying, Chitragreev’s mind was on a wise lesson he had learned in life – the best and most natural allies of a person is the trio of mother, father and a dear friend. Now that he had no mother or father, his best chance of receiving help was from his friend Hiranyaka, the King of Mice.
Hiranyaka lived in the Sundarban forest near the Gandaki river. Hiranyaka was a very wise mouse and well trained in the art of governing and managing a kingdom.
The pigeons, carrying the net, landed near the underground burrow in which Hiranyaka lived. Chitragreev called out to his friend gently to come out of his burrow. The wise Hiranyaka looked out cautiously to see who had come to his door. He was startled to see so many pigeons all caught up under a net.
But once he recognized his friend Chitragreev he walked out with confidence and greeted him by saying – “How fortunate I am to see that a friend has come to see me. No one can be more fortunate than one who has the opportunity to be with a friend with whom one can talk freely and depend upon in times of need”.
Then Hiranyaka asked Chitragreev why and how they were bound under a net.
Chitragreev wisely replied that it was no one’s fault but their own karma or actions which had brought them to this state. He explained, “All sickness, sorrow, regret, bonds and afflictions are the fruits of the tree of wrong actions or karma that we have planted in the past. Whatever good or evil is experienced by a person, it ultimately comes from one’s own actions which become fate over a period of time”.
Hiranyaka felt anxious to free his friend and so immediately moved forward to chew off the ropes of the net around Chitragreev. But Chitragreev stopped him and requested, “First cut the ropes around my followers before freeing me”.
Hiranyaka reminded him that he was old and his teeth were no longer sharp enough and so he may not be able to cut the net across all the pigeons. So, he said that it would be better to first cut off the net around Chitragreev and if he is then able to cut the others out then he would do so.
But Chitragreev insisted that he first help his followers. Hiranyaka warned him that it was not common sense to ensure the well being of others before ensuring one’s own well being.
Chitragreev replied – “Yes what you say is true. But I also feel that a wise and virtuous person would happily give his wealth and life to help another person in need. These followers of mine are my faithful companions and I would not mind giving up this perishable body for them, rather than give up my virtues and reputation for my own life. The body anyway has to perish, but virtues and reputation live forever.” In this way Chitragreev urged Hiranyaka to first save his followers.
Hiranyaka looked very pleased and happy with the reply of his friend and said – “Dear friend the commitment and concern you have shown for your followers proves your great leadership ability and you truly deserve to be a King.”
He then went on to free all the pigeons. Now free, the pigeons were happy and set to fly away.
Before Chitragreev bid goodbye, Hiranyaka gave him some council. He said, “Dear friend do not blame yourself or your actions/karma altogether for your problems and predicaments. Do not disparage yourself by suspecting your actions to be faulty. Time or kaala also has a role to play in whatever plays out in a particular moment. I have sometimes seen even the sharp eyed eagle miss the trap set for it on the ground, many brilliant men have suffered in poverty inspite of their intelligence and skills. In instances when kaala stretches out its hand towards misfortune for someone, all karmas and actions may become useless. So understand this also in addition to the role of karma.”
Then the 2 friends embraced and Chitragreev flew away with his followers and Hiranyaka went back into his burrow.
Vishnusarman notes for the Princes – ‘Friendships must be made with whoever it is possible. Make hundreds of friends. An entire group of pigeons can be freed by the friendship of one small mouse. You may never know which one of these friends may serve you brilliantly in your time of need’.
As you may remember from Winning of Friends, Part 1, Laghupatnak, the crow was witnessing all that was happening from the time the hunter started laying down his nets to capture the pigeons. He had watched the pigeons get trapped in the net, then how they flew to Hiranyaka for help and also observed how Hiranyaka dealt with Chitragreev’s situation and what advice he gave to Chitragreev. Laghupatnak was very impressed with Hiranyaka.
So he called out to Hiranyaka, who had retreated to his burrow. He praised him and said he would like to be friends with a wise person like Hiranyaka.
Hiranyaka, looked out and asked who it was calling him. When Laghupatnak introduced himself as the Crow, Hiranyaka started laughing and asked him, “What friendship can there be between a mouse and a crow? I am food for you and you are my hunter. Such a friendship is bound to result in misfortune for me. I do not want to end up in the same situation as the deer and the jackal.”
Laghupatnak became curious and asked, “What is the story of the deer and jackal? I would like to know about them”.
So Hiranyaka, still hiding in his burrow, started to tell him the story as follows:
In the kingdom of Magadha, there is a forest called Champakavati. There were 2 friends, the deer and the crow, living in this forest. One day the young and plump deer was noticed by a jackal. The jackal wondered how it could capture the fast and fleet footed deer and feast on its plump and healthy looking flesh. He knew it was not possible for him to run and catch it. So he decided to win the deer’s confidence and then when the deer became confident of their relationship he would be able to come close and kill it.
So he called out to the deer from a distance, “Hello, I hope you are very well?’
The deer was surprised and asked, “Who are you?”
The jackal replied back introducing himself as Shudrabuddhi, the jackal. Then he said, “I am all alone in this forest. I have no relatives or friends. Seeing you here gladdened my heart and I would like to be friends with you so that I am no longer alone.”
The polite and soft hearted deer did not think much and welcomed the jackal. As evening fell the deer started retreating to its home and asked the jackal to also come along.
Near its home lived a crow on the champaka tree. From his perch on the chapaka tree the crow was astonished to see that the deer was being followed by a jackal. The crow called out to the deer and asked, “Dear friend who is this second person with you?” The deer told him about the lonely jackal who wanted a friend and so the deer accepted his friendship and brought him home.
Having heard the deer, the jackal advised, “Dear friend confidence in a complete stranger is not a wise thing to do. The one whose background and nature are not understood and known cannot be brought so close to oneself. Do you know the story of the vulture which was killed due to the deeds of the cat?”
Both the deer and jackal asked how that happened.
So the crow told them the following story:
“On the banks of the Bhagirathi River there was a mountain called Giddaur where a vulture named Jaradgav lived, in the hollow of a fig tree. This vulture was very old and could no longer hunt for its food as its claws were no longer sharp and it was almost blind in the eyes. One day, feeling compassion for the old vulture, the other birds living on the tree told him to take care of their little children while they went out hunting for food and in return they would provide him food every day. The vulture was pleased with this proposition and started to take care of the young birds left behind in the nests every day. Many days passed happily.
But one day a big cat noticed all the young birds alone in their cages and climbed the tree to feed on them. The startled little birds cried out in fear. Jaradgav immediately called out in his authoritarian loud voice asking who was there. This took the cat by surprise and it thought that there was surely some danger. But then it thought that it was difficult to escape immediately and so decided to use its cunning ways to manage the danger. So, in a polite voice it called out his greetings and told Jaradgav that he was a cat.
Jaradgav told him to go away immediately or he would kill him. The cat politely told him – “Please hear me once, if you still think I deserve to be killed then do so.” So Jaradgav decided to give him a chance.
Taking this opportunity the cat replied politely – “I live on the banks of the Ganga river. I have changed my character to become more enlightened, so now I do not eat any flesh and perform all duties in line with the holy scriptures. I have heard about your wisdom and virtue from all the birds that live on this tree. So I came along to meet with you, who seem to be a knowledgeable, enlightened person. From the holy scriptures, I have learnt that knowledgeable and virtuous people like you, treat all with respect, just like the moon shines its light on everyone irrespective of the person’s class, stature or character.”
Jaradgav replied that being a hunter, the cat was a danger to all the birds on the tree and it was his duty to safeguard them.
The cat replied – “Having learnt about virtues, I have stopped harming all others as now I understand that only those who do not harm others go to heaven. So now I am completely satisfied by eating of vegetables and do not desire the flesh of other animals.”
With such words, the cat inspired and built confidence with Jaradgav. By the sweet talk of the cat, Jaradgav became confident of the virtues of the cat and did not take the time to test his character. So he became less attentive to the danger the cat posed for the little birds in his care.
Taking advantage of Jaradgav’s confidence the cat ate a few birds everyday and left the feathers of the birds in the hollow of the tree where Jaradgav lived. Jaradgav being old and too confident of the cat did not even notice what was happening.
When the birds came back home to discover their little ones gone they flew around looking for them. Seeing the feathers of birds in the hollow of the tree they assumed that Jaradgav had deceived them and eaten their offspring while they were away hunting for food. This made them so angry that they got together and killed Jaradagav.
Having told the story, the crow says to the Deer –
Agyaat kul sheelasya vaaso veyo na kasyacit
Those whose background and character are not known, should not be brought in close contact
On hearing this story, the clever jackal, immediately replied in anger to the Crow – “When the deer got to know you for the first time you also were a stranger to him. It is only the narrow minded who look for only familiar and known people. The wise see the whole world as a family for themselves.”
Hearing the crow and jackal argue, the deer quickly intervened and asked them to stop such arguments and enjoy a peaceful, happy time together. He further told them, “We can either make enemies with one another or make friends with each other. So it better to make peace and be friends.”
The next day the jackal cleverly told the deer that he knew of a field full of very sweet corn which the deer could enjoy. The deer asked the jackal to show him the corn field and then followed the jackal, feeling happy at the thought of finding juicy, sweet corn to feed on.
The jackal led him to a nearby field full of corn and the deer started feeding on the corn every day. The farmer who owned the corn field realized that the corn was being eaten by someone and so decided to lay a net to trap whoever was eating his corn. This is exactly what the jackal expected the farmer to do. He knew that once the deer was trapped it would die and then he could feast on its young flesh.
At this point Vishnusarman notes for the Princes –
> In misfortune one gets to know who is a friend
> In battle who is a hero
> In debt who is honest
> In times of bad fortune, who is a faithful spouse
> In times of affliction who is a kinsman (close group of family and friends)
All Kinsmen must stand with one another in times of festivity, conflict, famine, disease and even death.
When the deer went to the field the next day, he as expected got caught in the net laid out by the farmer. Since the jackal was accompanying him every day to the field the deer was very relieved that he had his friend close by. He called out to the jackal to help release him from the net.
The clever jackal told the deer that he had undertaken a vow of non-action for the day and so would be unable to help him till the next morning. But he assured the deer that he would come back and free him the next day and went away and hid in a bush close by. The jackal had also inspected the net and was sure the deer could not escape and would most likely die after which the jackal would feast on the deer.
By evening when the deer had not returned, the crow was worried for him. So he flew around searching for the deer and found him trapped in a net in the corn field. The crow called out to ask the deer what had happened. The deer replied, “This is the result of not listening to a dear friend’s counsel. Misfortune comes to those who do not heed good advice of their well wishers. Such a person is a delight of his enemies.”
The crow asked, “Where is the jackal?’. The deer replied, “He is waiting for me to die so that he can then feast my flesh.”
The crow then told the deer, “One should try to recognize a person who will injure you behind your back but always be honey sweet before you. Such a person is like a bowl of poison which is laced with milk on top. Remember dear friend, a jackal is like coal will which cannot change its nature. When coal is hot it burns and when it is cold it will still blacken your hands.”
All night the crow kept the deer company and they talked about the misfortune of the deer due to his excessive trust in someone he neither knew well nor had taken the opportunity to test the jackal’s character before letting him come so close.
As the sun rose in the morning the farmer came to check his farm and the trap he had set.
Sitting atop the tree he could see the farmer approach from a distance. The clever and wise crow had been thinking about how to help his friend the deer and quickly advised him, “Dear friend the farmer is now approaching, lie on your back and act dead by stiffening your body and stop breathing when the farmer is near. When the farmer sees that you are dead, he will remove the net and in that moment you will have a chance to suddenly get up and run.”
The farmer approached the deer and was happy to see it dead as it would no longer be able to eat his corn. The deer waited till he removed the net and as the farmer got busy folding his net, the deer did as advised by the crow and ran for his life.
When the farmer noticed the deer running away, he picked up his stick and threw it at the deer to kill it. But the stick missed him and instead hit the jackal still hiding in the bush. The jackal was badly injured and died in the bush.
Vishnusarman here says to the Princes – Within 3 years, within 3 months, within 3 fortnights, within 3 days, one will enjoy here, in this lifetime, the fruits of one’s extraordinary virtues and vices both.
Having told the story of Jaradgav, the vulture & cat along with the story and of the deer, jackal and crow, Hiranyaka the mouse concluded that one should be cautious of building too much relationship and confidence between food and its eater or the prey and its hunter.
In defense of himself Laghupatnak replied with 3 wise statements –
> “By eating someone as small as you, my hunger cannot be satisfied but by having you as my friend I can live a life full of wisdom and learning”
> “Even among the wildest and brutish people, the one whose actions are pure and whose disposition is good, their natural qualities show up more than their brute nature”
> “The mind of the good when angered does not undergo any change, the water of the ocean cannot be made hot by the burning of a strand of straw”
In this way, first Laghupatnak tried to convince Hiranyaka why it was advantageous for him to have a friend rather than make a meal of him. He also expressed his qualities of goodness inspite of being a predatory bird. In the final statement, Laghupatnak expressed that he is not angered by the harsh words of Hiranyaka and that proved his goodness and equanimity.
On hearing such wise words, Hiranyaka replied –
“It is well proven that you belong to the enemy category as you are a predator and I am the meal. The intelligent do not to engage with the enemy or atleast not create a very close bond”
“An enemy continues to be an enemy even if he is intelligent, knowledgeable and wise”
“What is impossible cannot be and what is possible will certainly be. A cart cannot move in water, just like a ship cannot move on land”
Laghupatnak was not disheartened to hear this and decided to show his determination to become friends with Hiranyaka through his actions and said; “Dear friend to show you my commitment towards you and deep need for your friendship, I shall give up all eating and drinking and stay here at your door till either you accept me as a friend or I die.” He further added –
“A bad person is like an earthen vessel, easy to break and difficult to repair. But a good person is like vessel of gold, difficult to break but can be fully restored and repaired”
“Actions show what a person is. Beasts and birds can only act through instinct, bad people only through fear and cheating and the good through their virtues and merit”
“So knowing this I seek the company of the good. I seek a good friend as only a good friend can be heroic in difficulty, liberal with me inspite of all my shortcomings, pure in friendship, be my companion in both good and bad times and be kind and truthful to me.”
Hiranyaka was very impressed with these words of Laghupatnak and replied –
“A distressed person cannot be as satisfied with a bath in cold water or the application of sandal powder or the wearing of pearls, but his distress can disappear by the company of good people of good taste and polite, charming & wise disposition.”
“A bad friend is one who betrays one’s confidence, who insists on taking rather than giving to the friend, is harsh, fickle minded, untruthful, gets angry easily. I do not see any such characters in you.”
“Good thoughts, truthfulness, appropriateness of one’s statements, unwavering in his decisions and actions are the signs of one who is not deceitful. The wicked ones say something and mean something else and even act to do something else from what they said. But the good souls show singleness. What is said is meant and done.”
“I see in you the qualities of the good souls and so am happy to have you as my friend.”
So saying the two friends started staying close to each other and sharing and learning from each other and also being each other’s friend in need and in happiness.
