Having concluded the lessons on War, Vishnusarman proceeded to started the lessons on Peace, as requested by the Princes
Peace
Having heard with rapt attention and learnt the lessons of war and its consequences, the Princes were eager to learn and understand the process of peace. So they requested Vishnusarman to share stories and lessons on peace.
Vishnusarman was delighted with the eagerness of his students to learn more. He then went back to the story of Flamingo Queen Hiranyagarbh and Peacock King Chitrakarna and what transpired after the war. So he related as follows –
The war was halted between the armies of the Queen and King by discussions between the Goose PM and the Vulture PM. The armies of both sides were exhausted, many soldiers had died and much destruction had ensued already.
As an uneasy calm descended between the 2 armies the Queen asked, “So who started the fires in my kingdom, which led to the ultimate panic with the citizens and army?” The PM Goose replied, “Your Highness it was the crafty Crow and his accomplices who seem to have done the work. They have now all run away after creating the destructive fires”.
The Queen thought for a while and replied, “If this is indeed so, then it is my misfortune. It is surely my destiny to have lost the war and not the fault of my able counselors, whose planning and execution was flawless”.
But the PM Goose wisely responded, “Remember a man blames destiny when an unhappy situation results. The ignorant one never sees the link between his own actions and the unhappy result. Also, ones who do not heed the advise of well wishers and the wise, suffer like the turtle which dropped off from the stick”.
The queen asked how that happened and so the PM Goose related the following story –
Heed the Advise of Friends, Well wishers and the Wise
In the country of Magadha there is a large pond called Phullotpal. In this pond lived 2 Swans by the name of Sankat and Vikat. They were both friends with the turtle called Kambugreev who also lived in the pond.
One day, Kambugreev, heard some fishermen planning for their next day and heard them saying that they would fish for fishes and turtles the next day in Phullotpal pond. This worried Kambugreev very much and he feared for his life. So he went to speak to his Swan friends, Sankat and Vikat.
Sankat and Vikat heard what Kambygreev had to say and told him not to worry. They said, “Let us first see if the fishermen really do come to fish. Then we can decide to take action which is suitable in that moment”. Kambugreev was already very frightened and said, “I do not think we can wait till tomorrow morning. I have, in the past, seen a very bad event unfold in this very pond”. Sankat and Vikat asked what that was and so Kambugreev related the following story –
Plan for Your Future
In this very pond lived 3 fishes –
Anagat, who planned for the future and acted to successfully manage whatever happened
Pratyupannati, who always acted in the moment that an event took place
Yadbhavi, who never planned or acted on anything and left things to unfold and let fate intervene
Kambugreev continued, “Just like how we witnessed the fishermen come and discuss their plans for tomorrow, these 3 fishes also heard the plans of the fishermen discussing their plans for the next day and realised the they would come and catch lots of fish from the pond.
So Anagat immediately started planning to escape the fishermen. She resolved to find another pond and somehow escape to it. Having strived to search for another pond and having planned to find ways to migrate to that pond, she successfully managed to escape and left before dawn.
Pratyupannati, however, felt that there was no certainty that the fishermen would actually execute their plans. Even if they did come what was the certainty that she would get caught in their nets. So she said to Yadbhavi, ‘The wise is one who can change misfortune into fortune, just like the paramour disowned by the merchant’s wife, when circumstances turned against her’.
Yadbhavi asked how that was and so Pratyupannati related the following story –
‘In the nearby town, there lived a merchant whose wife was always cheating on him by sporting with men, employed by him. The merchant was unaware of this and she cleverly managed her life of immorality using her sharp intelligence and wit. One day as she was busily engaged with one of the men, when her husband spied her kissing the man on his cheek. The wife quickly realised that the husband had noticed her actions and so indignantly started complaining to her husband saying – ‘Dear I had ordered fragrant camphor sweetmeats for you and this man here has eaten the same. I just smelt his breath and find that he is guilty of stealing and eating the sweetmeats.’
The man also realising that they had been caught by the husband, indignantly retorted, ‘What use of working in a household where the woman of the house is constantly smelling one’s mouth to check if one has stolen any food from the house. I would rather not work in such a place.” Saying so, he left the house immediately.’ Pratyupannati concluded the story by saying, ‘one must always be alert and resourceful and be able to find a solution when unfortunate events take place.
But Yadbhavi thought differently and said to Pratyupannati, “What is not to be, will not be, if it is to be, then it cannot be avoided. So why should one have any anxiety?”
The next day when the fishermen came to fish, Pratyupannati found herself caught in the net. So she decided to lie down motionless as if dead. All dead fish was being thrown onto the land by the fishermen and so was Pratyupannati thrown there. But she had conserved her energy and was able to slide herself from land back into the deep waters.
Yadbhavi was also caught by the fishermen and having accepted her fate died without a struggle or attempt to free herself.
So Kambugreev said to the Swans, “I would prefer not to live the fate of Yadbhavi by taking her attitude and giving up completely or like Pratyupannati to wait till it is too late, as I do not feel confident that I can save myself after the situation has happened. I would rather be like Anagat and plan my escape before anything untoward takes place. So I must find another safer pond”.
The Swans agreed and said, “Yes you would be safer in another pond, but do you know where the other pond is and how to travel there?” Kambugreev replied, “It is not possible for me to find the pond by way of land, so you, my friends must help to take me by air when you fly.”
The Swans were quite surprised that a tortoise wanted to fly with them and exclaimed, “How is it possible for you to fly with us, you are a creature which can only move on land?” Kambugreev replied, “So a solution must be found. I suggest that both of you hold 2 ends of a stick in your beaks as you fly. I shall hold onto the horizontal stick with my mouth and as you fly with the stick I too shall get lifted and so be able to fly with you to the next pond”. The Swans agreed that this could be a solution and agreed to help him, but said to him, “While we have a solution, the intelligent ones also reflect upon and try to understand the hurdles that can arise when taking any action. Otherwise, we could also meet the fate of the chicks of the foolish crane”.
The Tortoise asked what had happened to the chicks of the crane and and Swans then told him the following story –
Understanding All Hurdles Must be Part of the Planning Process
Towards our North, there is a mountain called Gridhakoot. On that mountain there was a large Fig tree in which many cranes nested. But in a hole, at the foot of the tree, lived a snake which regularly devoured the eggs and small chicks of the cranes. The distressed cranes were one day advised by an old crane to take action and resolve this problem. He advised, “I suggest that you get small fish and line them up from the hole in which the Mongoose lives unto the hole to the Snake. The mongoose while enjoying the fish will ultimately reach the hole in which the snake lives and having discovered the snake will by traditional rivalry between the 2 attack the snake and kill it. This will help us rid ourselves of this evil snake”.
All the cranes agreed and quickly started work of getting the fish and laying them out in a line starting at the hole where the Mongoose lived and took it unto the snake’s hole in the fig tree. The mongoose was pleasantly surprised to find so much fish right outside and starting devouring the food. Finally, it reached the hole in which the snake lived and true to its nature killed the snake. But the clever Mongoose also discovered that there were lots of Cranes living in the branches of the big fig tree. So he started visiting that fig tree often and found the cranes’ chicks easy prey for himself. Now while the snake was killed and that problem solved, the Cranes gained an even more dangerous enemy and all their hard work was lost.
So the Swans said, “Please also be aware that while we can carry you on the stick when we fly, but this will be an unusual sight, and so it will attract a lot of attention from people. They will surely gather to see a flying Turtle and make a scene. If, by any chance, you get distracted and react to them, you will open your mouth and fall down to your death. So, we feel it may be better for you to stay here itself and try to save yourself while being here”.
Kambugreev then replied, “Do you think I am a fool to react with anger or irritation at people? You can be assured that I shall do no such thing. You must take me with you tomorrow”.
The Swans agreed and flew with him as planned the next day. The village folk saw this unusual sight and more and more people joined to watch the unusual scene . People started either to make fun and trying to distract the birds and turtle or they started betting with each other – some said that the turtle would surely fall, some felt it would hold onto to dear life, others said that they would be happy to see it fall as then they could cook it for their dinner. They ran after the birds and teased the Swans and the turtle as they flew. This angered and irritated Kambugreev and unable to hold himself back, he decided to retort in anger. But as he opened his mouth, he lost his hold on the stick and quickly fell to his death.
So, the Goose PM concluded the story by reaffirming that they had indeed been a victim of the sly crow who was actually a spy sent by the Vulture PM of King Chitragreev. The spy Heron also confirmed that it was the crow and his cronies who lit the fires, leading to their defeat.
Then, Queen Hiranyagarbh sighed and said, “Alas, the one who confides in an enemy either due to false display of respect or help by the enemy, surely wakes up like one who having slept atop a tree, falls when least conscious of his/her safety and so experiences both hurt and severe shock”.
The Spy Heron then continued to brief the Queen and said, “On his return, the Crow was welcomed back by the PM Vulture, who openly expressed his love, respect and gratitude for his loyal and worthy servant’s service and showered him with compliments, public acknowledgement of his bravery and gifting of rewards.
King Chitragreev was so delighted with the Crow’s brave actions and their results that he wanted to be excessively generous. So he told the PM Vulture to set up the Crow as the King of Karpadweep. The wise PM Vulture then advised King Chitragreev saying, “Sir, the Crow is not worthy of such a big gift. The gift is not proportionate to his actions. While it is important to recognise the acts of worthy soldiers, awards disproportionate to actions are not a wise act. Giving an award greater than deserved is like a footprint in the sand. A lowly deserving person on receipt of too much power and riches, starts desiring to take over the power of even his own master, like the tiger who tried to kill the saint. So, I suggest that some other award be given”.
The King then asked the PM why the tiger tried killing the saint. So the Vulture PM told him this story –
Reward Appropriately
In the hermitage of Rishi Gautama, lived a highly spiritually advanced saint called Mahatap. One day, as he rose from his meditation he noticed a mouse fall from the mouth of a crow. The compassionate Mahatap saw the pain and misery of the badly injured mouse and decided to nurture it back to health. So he cared for it and fed it every day and soon the mouse regained his health. The mouse now ran around the hermitage freely. But, a cat that also lived around the hermitage, saw a healthy mouse and started chasing it. Saint Mahatap noticed this and felt that the mouse would not be able to survive the cat so, in his compassion and through his great powers, transformed the mouse into a cat. One day this cat was chased by a dog and so to save its life Saint Mahatap transformed it into a dog. But this dog was one day almost killed by a tiger which had roamed close to the hermitage. So the Saint transformed it into a tiger. The tales of a mouse’s transformation from a mouse to cat to dog to finally a tiger became famous throughout the village. People often came to watch the tiger and often gossiped about it’s origin. The Tiger, now having become used to its great powers and beauty, did not like the fact that everyone knew that he was actually a mouse and had been transformed by Saint Mahatap into this magnificent tiger. So he reflected, “As long as this Saint lives, so will the disgraceful story of my origin also live. Better to kill him and then live like a grand tiger”. Thinking in this way, it rose to kill Saint Mahatap. But Mahatap being a very advanced sage himself realised and read the thoughts of this mouse-turned-tiger and in the flash of an eye he transformed the foolish mouse back to its original form of a mouse.
The Vulture PM then concluded, “Hence, I say that a person rewarded beyond his capability and achievements can become dangerous even for the one who has rewarded him. Further, it is also not that easy to trust anyone while you are at a distance. Even though every evil person knows he/she will suffer for evil actions, they will still continue to do evil. Do you not know the story of the evil crane which devoured many fish but was finally itself killed due to its evil and greed?”
King Chitragreev then asked the Vulture PM how that came about. So the PM related the following story –
Sweet Words can Cover Up Evil Deeds, so Trust only when You Can Verify
In the Kingdom of Malwa, there was a large lake by the name of Padmagarbha. In it lived an old crane who found it hard to fish due to old age. So one day he stood looking sad and still in the lake. Noticing the unusual behaviour of the old crane a crab asked the crane, “How is it that you are standing quietly in the lake and not fishing?” The old crane replied, “Friend, fishes are my sole source of food. But as I flew over the nearby village yesterday, I overheard the village fishermen discussing a plan to come to our lake tomorrow to fish. So I know that soon this lake which is my source of food will no longer have any fishes to offer to me and I shall be left hungry. This thought has made me so anxious that I am unable to even feed myself”.
The fishes of the lake heard this story and immediately thought about escaping from the lake to save themselves. Though they knew that the crane was traditionally their hunter, they felt that in this moment of extreme danger, they could trust him to be an accomplice, as it would be mutually beneficial and they could jointly overcome a common threat. So they asked him, “Do you think their is any way to escape the fishermen?” The crafty old crane replied, “There is another lake close by. If you want to escape to that lake, then I can carry you one by one to the other lake”. The frightened fishes quickly agreed to his proposition. So the old crane carried one fish at a time and taking it to the next lake, happily devoured it. The unsuspecting fishes of the lake were happy that one by one they were escaping the threat of fishermen, little knowing the fate of their friends which had been carried off by the crane.
The crab which had been watching the goings on also became eager to escape the lake and also requested to be carried by the crane to the other lake. The old crane thought it would be a good idea to eat crab flesh for the next meal and so carried the crab. The crab on reaching the lake noticed the lakeside strewn with fish bones and quickly realised what the old crane had done. He said to himself, “On perceiving danger, one should immediately act to save oneself. A wise person will always prefer to give a good fight as he knows that no advantage will be gained by fearing defeat and not fighting it out”.
So as they landed on the shore of the lake, the crab lunged at the crane’s neck, killing it instantly.
So, the Vulture PM concluded the story by saying, “Hence, I advise you not to entrust the throne to the crow. You will be too faraway to know for sure what he is doing here”.
The King replied, “But I thought if we install the crow, our faithful soldier, as king, then he would over time be able to send us the treasures of this country. We would then be able to use these treasures to enrich our country and live in luxury”.
The Vulture PM laughed and replied, “Sir, the one who is delighted by mere speculation of a future, may experience disappointment like the Brahim who broke the pots”.
King Chitragreev asked how that was and so the Vulture PM narrated the following story –
Dreaming will not fulfil Aspirations
In the city of Devikot lived a brahmin called Dev Sharma. He earned his living by conducting religious rituals on auspicious days, at the houses of people. One summer equinox day, he received a pot filled with lots of rotis (pancakes) and laddoos (sweetmeats) as payment for his services from a household. On leaving the house, he realised that it was too hot outside and so he thought it was better to rest in a shaded area before walking back to his house. So he looked around for a suitable place to rest and found a small shelter which was used by a potter to store his pots. The store room was cool and the brahmin sat down with his pot of food there.
Sitting alone he started thinking what he could do with the big pot of food he had received for his services. He realised that the food could be sold in the market and he would receive enough money to buy several pots from the potter. These could be sold at a good price and a profit made. With this profit he then thought he could buy cloth, sell it in the market and make an even greater profit. With these profits he speculated he could buy spices and trade in spices which would give him even higher profits. This way, he thought, he would one day be able to earn a lot of money and become very rich. Having become rich, he realised that he would be a sought after groom and would then marry someone of his choice. But being so wealthy, he felt, he would have the privilege of marrying more than one woman. He thought he would like to have at least 4 wives. Each time he married he would marry a younger and younger woman. He then thought that the wives may all vie for his attention and not get along with each other. So he thought that if he ever found them fighting amongst themselves he would take his stick and beat them all.
As he progressed through these stories in his mind, he started experiencing the emotions of happiness, anger, etc. When he thought about disciplining his wives, he became so overcome with anger that he picked up his stick and started hitting out at the things around him and broke the potter’s pots. Hearing the commotion, the potter came into the shelter to see what was happening. He saw a crazed, angry brahmin breaking his pots for no reason. This angered the potter and he hit threw the brahmin out. The brahmin suddenly realised that he had got into a dream through his speculation and lost even the food he had earned for the day.
The Vulture PM then concluded saying, “So Sir, I advice you not to speculate about the future as this may not come to pass”.
So the King then asked the Vulture what was the right decision to take in that moment.
The Vulture PM replied, “Understand O King that when the call for a war comes from a king, his loyal soldiers’ hearts fill with pride and like excited elephants they are ready to take on a fight. But when the same soldiers perceive a king to be vacillating and indecisive, they become less respectful of him. So you must surely take a decision and this decision must be a wise one, which takes into account a variety of factors”.
Then the Vulture PM asked King Chitragreev, “So tell me if this war was won by you, through the strength and skill of your army or through a strategy deployed?”
The king replied, “It was only by strategy deployed by you that we won the war”.
The Vulture PM then said, “If you heed my advice then I would urge you to return back to our country and kingdom. The rainy season is about to start and we are still in enemy territory. Even though we have won the war, if a revolt were to take place from within this kingdom of Karpadweep, then we would have to face a very brave army, while in enemy territory. This army has already proven that it is equal to or better than us in the art of warfare. You have already proven your victory by taking the fort and acquired the status of the victor.
O King, I realise that my advise may be unpalatable to you and something you would personally not desire to do. But a King’s advisor must always state the right way and not be swayed by what the king wants. That is what makes an advisor a worthy partner to the king.
So again I reiterate, a king must make peace with equals. Victory in war with equals is always doubtful, so we must not take that route. No wise man would advise putting a king, his army, his kingdom and his reputation at risk.
Also, in a battle of equals, it is possible that both parties lose the battle, just like Sundar and Asundar, who being equal in strength and skill killed each other.
King Chitragreev asked how that happened and so The Vulture PM told him the following story –
No One Gains in a Battle between Equals
Many centuries ago there were 2 very accomplished demons by the name of Sundar and Asundar. Both felt a strong desire to rule the earth. So they both did long years of penance and prayers to the Great Lord Siva, who can grant any boon. After several years of their penance and prayers, the were rewarded with a vision of Siva. Siva, in appreciation of their penance, told them to ask for a boon. The goddess of knowledge, Saraswati, knew what they would ask for and how damaging it would be if they were granted the world to rule. So, she prevailed upon their minds and tongue and they were unable to ask for their utmost desire of ruling over the world. In their confusion, they asked the Great Siva to give them his wife Parvati. Parvati is the most beautiful of all female forms in the universe. Now Siva being bound by his own words that he would grant them any boon, had to send Parvati to the demons.
The 2 demons on seeing Parvati were so enamoured by her beauty that each wanted her for himself only. This started a dramatic fight between the 2 demons. Seeing them fight and being concerned about how to save Parvati from the demons, the Great Siva, appeared in the guise of an old, wise brahmin. The 2 demons on seeing the Brahmin decided to ask his advice about who Parvati should belong to. The Brahmin, then said that the demons were most known for their skills as warriors so it was best that they should be tested on their talent. The 2 demons agreed and a fight ensued. The 2 being equal in strength then hit each other with blows and ultimately killed each other through a mutual blow given at the same time by both.
So the Vulture PM concluded, “Hence it is best to desire peace with an equal”.
King Chitragreev then asked, “So why was this not pointed out before we started this whole war?” To this the PM replied, “Were you listening to my advice when you decided to pursue this war? War was not started by my advise. I had mentioned to you that the peace loving Queen Hiranyagarbh should not be attacked unilaterally”.
Queen Hiranyagarbh and the Goose PM had been listening intently to the events being related by the Spy Heron. They asked the Spy to continue and tell them what else happened.
The spy then related as follows –
The Vulture PM advised the King saying, “There are 7 types with whom peace must be made –
>>a truthful person – the truthful cherish truth and do not change with changing times.
>>a person of high standing in society – Even at the risk of his own life, a noble, reputable person would stand with the ally
>>a virtuous man – a virtuous person has many friends and allies, who would stand by him if he is attacked
>>a person of low social status – if there are no options to save one’s honour or life then peace should be made with even a person of low social status
>>a man with a large group of supportive kinsman – a thick bamboo surrounded by branches of prickly thorns is difficult to cut down. So one with many kinsmen is difficult to defeat in battle
>>a powerful, strong person – Just like a cloud never moves in the opposite direction of the wind, we should also not take on a battle with the strong
>>one who has proven his/her might by winning many battles – having won many battles a person has many allies, so such a one must also be made peace with
In the same way, Queen Hiranyagarbh is a royal with several great qualities, so we must make peace with her.”
Having heard everything from their spy, the Queen asked the spy to go back and get more information on what the King Chitragreev was planning next.
So what were the plans of King Chitragreev?…..Find out in Part 12
