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Indian Fable Literature, 
 
 'The discovery made known by Warren Hastinj^s, Halhed, and 
 W'ilkins, to the western world, that behind the Vernacular tongues of 
 India, there stands a more ancient language bearing the same rela 
 tionshij) to them, that Latin bears to the Romance languages of 
 Europe, was an intellectual revelation of no small value. To the 
 missionaries of an earlic. date, is willingly conceded the pahn, for 
 the first discovery of this ancient tongue, liut the times were not 
 then propitious for a full appreciation, of the rich vein they had 
 stumbled on, and, outside their own missions, this discovery of the 
 Jesuit Fathers might almost as well have continued to be a Hrah- 
 manic secret. 
 
 No stepi towards a knowledge of the language and literature of 
 Ancient India, was of equal importance to the publication of Hal- 
 heds' "Code of (jentoo laws, or ordinations of the Pundits, from a 
 "Persian translation made from the original written in the Shanscrit 
 " language." That collection of native laws was made under the 
 immediate authority of Warren Hastings, by eleven Hrahmins who 
 prepared a Persian version for Nathaniel Brassey Halhed, who, in 
 his turn, provided an English translation, and preface, giving all the 
 information he could, concerning the original language in which 
 these laws were written. The English version was published in 
 1776. Halheds' preface states that ''the professors of the ordin- 
 "ances here collected still speak the original language in which they 
 " were composed, though it is now entirely unknown to the bulk of 
 •'the people." 
 
 It would be interesting to retrace the methods by vyhich the 
 scholars of Europe, aided by Indian pandits, unravelled the com- 
 plex structure of this old tongue ; to take a bird's eye view of the 
 literature it has preserved; and to follow up the effect of its discov- 
 ery on the science of linguistics. But sutKice it to say, knowledge 
 
a INDIAN I A III, K I.IIKKAII KK. 
 
 of the struc.liire of Sanskrit enabled ( 'olehrookc, ii<»|)|), the Mrothers 
 (irinini, and their sik cessors, to recast the science of grammar, and 
 to estahUsh the aiixiHary science of comparative philology. The 
 vohniie of Sanskrit Hteratiire, (hscovered to the present time, exceeds 
 in hulk that of both (ireece and Rome. It contains much chaff, as 
 well as wheat, for ancient bo(jk makers, like their successors in that 
 art, were l^ut human. Sanskrit literature has, however, this unicjue 
 value ; it shows us the continuous, unbroken develojimeni for three 
 thousand years, of the intellectual, and spiritual life, of the most 
 gifted branch of tiie Indogermaiii( slock. It is the best mental his- 
 t(jry of the (hvision to which we ourselves are most nearly related of 
 the human family. 1 )octor Schroeder, in a course of fifty lectures 
 o\\ ''ItidicH-^ F.itenxtur and Cultur in /listorischcr cnhvickluH}^'^ has 
 recently fully dealt with this interesting (|uestion. His work com- 
 bines the minute accuracy of (lerman scholarship, with the pi(|uant 
 art ot a modern essayist, atul is a helpful guide to rightly compre- 
 h' nding the stages of intellectual and moral life, which in the course 
 ii' '■ ng centuries produced this remarkable literature. 
 
 Within the memory of living men, a philosopher like Dugald 
 Stewart thought this ancient language was a modern forgery, by a 
 shrewd priesthood, to thwart the missionaries ; and good Fra Har- 
 tholomy believed, that even the subtle Brahmins would not have 
 been ecpial to so difficult a task imaided by the supernatural cunning 
 of the evil one. The luiropean knowledge of Sanskrit began but 
 little before the commencement of this century. About that time, 
 Chailes Wilkins, an employe of the East India Company, fairly 
 mastered the language, and with his own hands cut the first punches 
 and cast the first type for printing in Sanskrit characters. But a few 
 short years have wrought great change. Sanskrit is now accorded 
 the seat of honor amongst the Aryan tongues. Modern dictionaries 
 carefully point out Sanskrit derivations, and most colleges make 
 some knowledge of Sanskrit a part of their language course. Ten 
 years since, the number of separate Sanskrit MSS. known to exist 
 was estimated at ten thousand, and from the systematic search in 
 India, set on foot by the British Government, considerable additions 
 have since been made to that number I have here the ordinary 
 trade catalogue of Pandit Jyestharam Mukundji, a Bombay book- 
 seller. It contains for sale, more than tA'elve hundred books printed 
 in Sanskrit, and arranged in thirty classes. Some are different 
 
,NI)IAN FAIM.I'. .1 IKK ^ TURK. 
 
 editions of the same vork, and a tow arc prinit'd in l'jir()|)e, hut 
 nu)st of them arc dislin< i vorks |)rinted in India. 
 
 Of tliis extensive field, the (omparativcly small portion over 
 which I ask the favour of your company, is that of Indian fable 
 literature. In our ramble over this corner, we may find but wayside 
 wild Howers, modest and insignificant coiupared with the subhme 
 beauty of the N'aidic Hynuis, or the majestic descriptions of the 
 Kpic Poems : but wc shall find them graceful after their own f>ishion, 
 and no more to be despised, than the wild-thyme and violets, which 
 give fragrance to an I^n^lish lane, are to be slighted, because there 
 nre ri( her fiowers. 
 
 Indian literature has several colle<tions of fables. Amongst 
 the chief of them, are the Katha Sarit Sagara, or ocean stream of 
 fable, by S(jmadeva Hhitlao*'(!ashmere ; tlie Panchatantra ; and tlic 
 Hitopadesa. The Ratha Sarit Sagara comprises eighteen books of 
 stories, condensed in the eleventh or twelfth century, from an earlier 
 and larger collection. The other two are mainly bo(.)ks of apologues, 
 or stories, m which animals are made to talk like men, with the in- 
 tention of conveying some moral lesson. The numerous stories con- 
 tained in the ocean stream of fable, are somewhat in the maimer of 
 those in the Arabian niglits, but are full of Prahmanic legends, and 
 startling inj^tances of the power over the rest of mankind, claimed to 
 be controlled by Hindu saints and ascetics. Prof. Prockhaus edited 
 the text, and gave a (ierman translation of this work, commencing 
 half a century ago. In 1880 the Asiatic Society of Bengal published 
 in the BihliotJicca Im^ica an English translation by Mr. C. H. 
 Tawuey, '1 he stories were illustrated, by the translator, with notes 
 of similar legends, cuirent in other countries. 
 
 The Panchatanira, the pentateuch of ajjologues, is the most in- 
 teresting ui ithemany amusing books of its class India has i)roduced. 
 its popularity has been, and still is, i)roportionatc to its excellence. 
 It has made its way into every civili/ed country in the world. I'^x- 
 cept the Bible and Bunyan s Pilgrim's Progress, no other book has 
 been translated into so many different languages. Tlie Editor of the 
 last English edition of th^ese fables, Mr. Jacobs, has traced them in;o 
 thirty-eight languages in one hundred and twelve versions, which 
 have ].assed into one hundred and eighty editions. L'nder various 
 names, no less than twenty translations of different versions of these 
 fables have been done into l^'.nglish. in view of these facts there is 
 
1 
 
 4 INDIAN I'Ani.K I.IVKRATURK. 
 
 hardly room for surprise that Mr. Jacobs thinks man might be de- 
 lincd as a " tale-tcHing animal, witli tlie corollary of woman as a 
 " tale-i)earing one." 
 
 The commonest name for the English translations of these 
 fables is Fables of I'ilpay, or, as sometimes spelled, IJidpai. Both 
 names there is little doubt, may be regarded as corruptions of the 
 Sanskrit word I'idyapatiy lord of knowledge. North's rare edition, 
 reprinted last year, under the care of Mr. Jacobs, is also called the 
 Moral I'hilosophj- of Doni, because it was translated from the 
 Spanish in 1552, by the Italian Philosopher Antoine Francois 
 Doni. The version of Doni was translated into vigorous JCnglish in 
 1570, by Sir. Thomas North, whose Plutarch is well-known to be the 
 foundation of Shakespeare's Roman plays. These fables have 
 had a strange history. If we follow back the Spanish translation 
 used by Doni, we shall find it comes from a I-atin Version, which 
 goes back to a Hebrew Version, which in its turn goes back to the 
 Arabic, which readies the original Sanskrit, after passing through 
 the Pehlevi, the language of Old Persia. 
 
 'i1ie route taken by North's Bidpai, is one of the longest and 
 most circuitous made by these fables in their passage from the F^ast 
 to the West. Other versions succeeded in making a shorter cut, 
 will out the aid of a string of intermediate languages, or centuries of 
 delay. There have been at least five direct translations from Sanskrit 
 into English, 'ihere is also the English translation made from the 
 Arabic, by the Rev. \\. KnatchbuU ; that into French from the 
 Tamil, made by the Abbe Dubois ; and the translation from Sanskrit 
 into German made by Prof. Jienfey. That by Dubois is prized be 
 cause it is the 1 )ekhan, or Southern version of these fables, and that 
 by Henfey is accom[)anied with a closely printed volume of six 
 hundred p.iges of notes and commentary, which makei it an un- 
 equalled treasury of information concerning the Panchatantra, and 
 an introduction, by one of the best scholars of our time, to the 
 history of modern fiction. 
 
 The Panchatantra, as it has come down to us, consists — as its 
 name, panc/ia, five, implies — of five books, containing eighty-four 
 fables. From the internal evidence obtained from all the different 
 versions, each of which has fables peculiar to itself, Benfey thinks 
 that the collection at one time had at least double the number of 
 books and stories it now has. The Hitopadesa, as Narayana, the 
 
INDIAN KAIM.K I IlKRA-n'K I 
 
 5 
 
 compiler of the Ijook, staus, is inamly taken Iidiii ihc I'anclialaiilra, 
 though a number of the stories are i)rune(l away. In hotli books 
 the stories are told in prose, and in a similar style ; but the narrative 
 is interlarded with couplets taken from the whole range of ante- 
 cedent Sanskrit poetry. Many of these slokas or verses, m a pithy, 
 sententious form, give the best maxims for the guidance of human 
 conduct that were current, and had reached, in ancient India, the 
 dignity of moral axioi> ^^h 
 
 The stories are t<J.U' with brevity and directness, whi< h make 
 them realistic and fix them in the memory. I hroughout, though 
 the standard of morals is not thai ol the nineteenth century, it com- 
 mands respect, and l)ut few of the stories are marred l)y the coarse- 
 ness that disfigures much of the f;ible literature nearer home, in 
 most of the stories a chord is str ck that Innnan hearts, irrespective 
 of time and place, respond to. I'A'erywhere kindness, considerati' n 
 for others, contentment, heroism, moderation, fortitude, industry, 
 and the advantages of knowledge, are inculcated. The animals talk 
 and act like men, but the cast of_ characters shews the different 
 degrees of esteem in which the different animals were then held. 
 Their standard was much like our own. The serpent was cunning, 
 the cat deceitful, the parrot pert, the mouse industrious, and the ass 
 stupid. 'i"he following fable might have been written yesterday. It 
 is the VTI. fable, \^ book of the I'anchatantra, and is entitled "The 
 Singing Donkey.'' 
 
 " An ass, wln)se master, after tlie day's drudger)', let him roam 
 " at will, made the acouaintance of a jackal, and togeliier at night 
 " they broke down fences, and plundered fields and gardens. One 
 " night, as they were munching away in the middle of a garden, the 
 "ass said to the jackal :—' Kinsman, the night is so lovely, 1 will 
 "give you a song. >\"hal key shall 1 sing in?' Hut the jackal 
 *' said : — ' Why make so much noise ? Ours is a risky business, and 
 "thieves and lovers must be cautious. iJesides yours is a rasjjing 
 " voice, by no means pleasant, so yf)U had better go on eating and 
 " let singing alone.' ' Ah,' said the ass, 'you live in the woods, and 
 "don't know the magic jjower of music' At the same time he 
 "struck u|) : -' When the harvest moon breaks through the gloam- 
 " ing, etc' ' Pretty enough words,' said the jackal, ' but your voice 
 " is rough, besides you don't understand music, and why make a 
 " noise to risk our being disturbed ?' ' What/ said the ass, * I not 
 
I! 
 
 O ' INDIAN I Mtl.K I.niKAirKK. 
 
 "know music? Why, there are seven notes, three octaves, one and 
 " twenty intervals, and forty-nine measures. Net you think I don't 
 •* know music, itul you shall see," and as he said so, he streKhed 
 "out his neck and hej^an to bray. The jackal said : - ' Well, it you 
 *' won't take advi( e, I shall make for the gale, and look out for the 
 " \val( hmaii. \'ou sing on to your heart's content.' 
 
 " The wat( hman soon heard the noise, ran out with a sti( k, 
 "and ( iidgelled the ass till he fell. The '^^^astening a tuh with a 
 "hole cut through the hottom on the a.ss'.s' ncck, he left him. The 
 *' ass soon recovered, and broke through the garden fence into the 
 "common, but could not free himself from the watchman's neck- 
 " yoke. .Meanwhile the jackal saw him, and said with a leer: 
 '''Though I begged you, un( le, to sto|) that singing, you would not 
 " mind ; now you are paid for your music with u fine iKcklace.' 
 '•'Thus, he who has no wit of his own, and will not heed the advice 
 ** of a friend, goes on to destruction." 
 
 1 litopadesa, the name of the smaller book of fables, is a com- 
 pound word meaning, friendly advice. It is an a]»propriate name, 
 as the stories are arranged in four books called, the getting of 
 friends ; the separation of friends ; war ; and reconciliation. There 
 is also an introductory e.xplanation of the origin and object of the 
 book. The introduction oi)ens with verses iji praise of learning 
 which it lauds as the one thing above i)rice, imperishable and which 
 cannot be taken away. It is the true allseeing eye, which pierces 
 the mists of doubt, and makes things that were hidden known. King 
 Sudarsana at his Capital, Patilaputra, on the (ianges, one day hear- 
 ing the ])raises of learning chanted in this strain, was deeply im- 
 pressed by what he heard, and became thoughtful over the course 
 of iiis own sons. 
 
 The King became much perplexed as he thought over what he 
 should do to educate his sons. True it was, that as they now were, 
 in an assembly of the learned they would have to sit, helpless, like 
 oxen in the mire. lUit why should he be sad, and indulge in vain 
 regrets over the conduct of his sons, who like all mortals, and even 
 the (lods themselves, are controlled by an inexorable fate. But no, 
 he (X)uld not satisfy his conscience for neglect of his sons, by any 
 soothing doctrines concerning fate and necessity. Only weak men 
 whine about destiny. The lion hearted cop.ipel fortime. The deer 
 does not run into the mouth of the sleejjing lion. The richest seed 
 
 'A 
 
 , 1 
 
fNHIAN lAIMI, I,ITI-.K/\rURK. 
 
 lat he 
 
 were, 
 
 , like 
 
 vain 
 
 even 
 
 It no, 
 
 ■ any 
 
 men 
 
 (leer 
 
 seed 
 
 will not yield its fill, unless trouble is taken to ( rii^li it. As the 
 |)otter irn)ulds his day, so can a man (asliion his destiny, at least 
 within certain limits. At any rate it were as useless to trust in tale 
 alone for success, as to try to drive a ( oach that has hut one wheel. 
 The most earnest effort to succeed must he made, and thcn^should a 
 man fail who can hiame? After these rellexions the Kinu (ailed a 
 sahlia or asseinhly of the I'andits of his realm, and a>ke(i, " who 
 amongst you is such a sage that hy his instruction he (an l)ring my 
 ignorant and erring sons to a new life." Vishnusarinan, a great scholar 
 and elo(|uent teacher undertook the task. ( "ompliiiients hetween the 
 King and teacher were cx( hanged, and he h(»|)cd that a six nujiiths 
 course under his method wouUl improve the manners of the I'riiH cs. 
 The mode of tea* hing he adopted was ( Diiversalional, and the 
 liitopadesa purports to he a summary of his lessons. 
 
 I, et us take a glance at the mere skeleton oulline of some of 
 the stories and jiroverhs of the Hilopadesa, Tlie first hjok intro- 
 duces a ('row, l,aglui|)alanaka, who, with a numher of other hirds, 
 lived in a tree (m the hank of the (iodaveri River. One morning 
 early, the crow, with a |)resentiment that something had would 
 hapi)en, saw a fowler going towards the forest. I'ollowing him up 
 the crow saw him spread his net and scatter rice grains to allure his 
 game. Very soon a flock of pigeons, following r!liilragriva their 
 leader, passing hy, were astonished to see rice scattered in the forest. 
 .\ dehate started as to whether they should alight. (!hitragriva 
 warned them to run no risk, and told them how a hypocritical old 
 tiger that he knew, pretended to be very good, and anxious to give 
 away a gold bracelet he carried on his paw, succeedeci in befooling 
 an unwary traveler, and in the end devoured him. .\ rash young 
 pigeon said, while the story was a good one, if pigeons were over nice, 
 where would they ever get a dinner. 'I'he hirds in the end alighted, 
 the fowler pulled the string of his net, and they were all caught. 
 
 Then the whole flock, entangled in the net, bitterly reproached 
 the young pigeon who led the agitation to alight. .\s it is said : 
 never lead a crowd ; for it scantily rewards its leader when he 
 succeeds, and kills him when he fails Hut Chitragriva generously 
 attributed their plight more to misfortune, than to the fault of the 
 daring pigeon, and cited couplets to shew that the best meant service 
 to others, may chance to bring them trouble. Instead of blame and 
 recriminations, they must make a common effort to fly away at once 
 
 
8 
 
 INDIAN FAHI.E LITERATURE. 
 
 I i 
 
 with the net, before tlie fcwler came. He knew a friendly mouse 
 who perhaps would nibble away the meshes of the net and free them. 
 The strength of any one of them was n much, but if the whole 
 flock would exert their strength at the same moment, the net could 
 be lifted readily enough ; single blades of grass were weak, but by 
 twisting many of them together, men made ropes strong enough to 
 bind the strongest elephants. 
 
 The i)igeons flew up with the net, and carried it to the mouse 
 king, Hiranyaka, whpm they called out from his curious little dwel- 
 ling, for safety, made wiHi an hundred doors. The mouse regrets to 
 see his friends in so sorry a plight, and attributes their trouble to an 
 all powerful fate, which none can escape ; when the time for 
 destruction to stretch her arm has come, she reaches a long distance. 
 The mouse l)egan at once to ^rce the i)igeons, beginnmg with the 
 king first. lUit with the magnaninn'ty of a true leader, he insisted 
 that all the flock should be freed before himself, notwithstanding the 
 warning c>f the mouse that his somewhat delicate teeth might give 
 out tjeforc they were all liberated. 
 
 The crow, who had watched the whole proceedings with aston- 
 ishment, then proposed that the mouse and lie should be friends ; 
 but the mouse was diffident, and replied that while a wise man 
 encourages yokirg creatures together in the bonds of friendship, 
 wherever the union is equal and seemly, he knows there can be no 
 friendship between a hawk and its fjuarry. Nothing but misfortune, 
 said the mouse, can spring from affection between a creature that is 
 food and the creature that feeds on him. Indeed, he knew a case 
 in point, where a deer would have been a victim to a cruel jackal 
 who pretended friendship for him, had it not been for a crow. The 
 crow and deer had long been friends, and when the jackal thrust his 
 friendship on the deer, the crow said it would be like the cat's friend- 
 ship for the vulture, to get the young birds that were in the same 
 tree. And true enough that jackal managed to entice the deer into 
 a cornfield, where, he knew the farmer had set a gin for him. And 
 when the deer was caught, the greedy jackal sneaked around longing 
 for his blood, and like the hypocrite he was, he could not loosen the 
 snare on Sunday, because it was made of sinew and he pretended it 
 would pollute him if he touched it. The deer would have died, had 
 the crow not advised him to sham death when the farmer came to 
 take up his snare. The ruse succeeded, and the farmer, after loosen- 
 
friendly mouse 
 : and free them, 
 ut if the whole 
 . the net could 
 weak, but by 
 >ng enough to 
 
 to the mouse 
 'US little dwel- 
 use regrets to 
 trouble to an 
 the time for 
 ong distance. 
 Tng with the 
 ^ he insisted 
 ■'landing the 
 li might give 
 
 ■ with aston- 
 
 be friends ; 
 ^ wise man 
 
 friendship, 
 • can be no 
 •misfortune, 
 tiire that is 
 lew a case 
 ruel jackal 
 ■ow. The 
 
 thrust his 
 ^t's friend- 
 
 the same 
 deer into 
 m. And 
 i longing 
 >osen the 
 ended it 
 hed, had 
 came to 
 r loosen- 
 
 INDIAN FABLE LITERATURE. 9 
 
 ing the snare from, as he suppose ' the dead animal, was so enraged, 
 when at a sign from the crow, the deer ran off, that he hurled his 
 staff at random after him, which as luck would have it, struck and 
 killed the jackal, who was lurking by till the deer should die. 
 
 These are fair samples of Indian Fables. The story formmg 
 the narrative is only a frame for a second story, and the second 
 story is the same for the third, or more. As each story is given with 
 minute touches of detail, and illustrative quotations from the poets, 
 it requires familiarity with the book, to ke^p the thread of the 
 narrative intact. The story of the cat and vulture is a perfect satire 
 on the hypocrisy which in the guise of sanctity aims at selfish ends. 
 The cat puts the vulture off his guard by pretending to carry out the 
 most rigid austerities, while sacred verses, which enjoin hospitality, 
 are quoted with such shew of learning, and so glibly, that the poor 
 vulture becomes ashamed of having doubted the cat's integrity. 
 Does not, he asks, the good man shew mercy to him who is worth- 
 less, just as the moon sheds her rays on the outcast's hovel. Another 
 verse he gives is from the Great Indian Epic poem : it is one ot the 
 passages which attracted Prof. H. H. Wilson's attention to Sanskrit 
 literature. I will borrow for you the poetical version into which it 
 was translated by the late John Muir : 
 
 *' That foe repel not with a frown 
 Who claims thy hospitable aid ; 
 A tree refuses not its shade 
 To him who comes to cut it down." 
 
 An artist by virtue of his calling has the right to limn his 
 characters true to his ideal conception of them, or Narayana, the 
 compiler ot these fables, must be set down as a sorry cynic, for his 
 finest citations are often put into the mouths of his worst animals, 
 and for despicable ends. When the jackal seeks the friendship of 
 of the deer in order to ruin him, he urges : that to ask is this man 
 of our own, or an alien, is a mark of narrowmindedness. The whole 
 earth is of kin to the generous hearted. 
 
 The crow so strongly presses his desire to be on friendly terms 
 ;th the mouse, and by his discourse evinces such integrity of 
 character, that the mouse accedes to his wishes, and for a long time 
 they in close friendship live pleasantly together. After a time food, 
 in that district, became scarce for the crow, and at his suggestion 
 they went on to a lake, where a friend of his, a tortoise named 
 
to 
 
 I' 
 
 I' 
 
 I I 
 
 ll 
 
 k 
 
 
 ""■'o/se, who received ih'""? '"'"« "'•'^ '"'■•oduced l,v fh 
 
 Manthara about if "" ''"^""^Wy, and after ^ '™"' '° "'- 
 
 and retired 'o'"^"" """"^ """ '"°"« hv h T '■'"' '''"•" 'hem 
 City of Ch-,,;? ' "'■'■''• ""= '"ouse si h r "'' ''•'" "«-' '""n 
 
 -"tain 4 't'' '° ""^"K °" a "ail1 The J;;;";™'" ^'""*"'-na 
 •^hat bow? saL /"'"'' "' ='"« ''e had coll: '^ ''^^S'"« '-o-v. 
 
 "^d -llecte"! e?::r^'. ' ^^^""••"•'>' W-n -^ : e """^"-^ '^»>'' 
 a neighboring fri , '^ '" "'<= earll, where rT '' "'«'"' "" ' 
 
 He watched where ? '""'"^^°'" "'= "oor to 't T '"'""'"^ '° 
 
 ,^P"ected, and'a - ,eT'„r^"'"'^<^ ""= ''or,^^,^'^'^^ '"'-'■ 
 f'etter live i„ , . „ '^'' "e I'oor and wretchf.,1 I "^'"«"ously 
 and water c V '^"■'^""''e^'ed w„h ti^er ' 'T j "'"' " '^ '■■'id : 
 
 --ted .ild';:,; -; '!;;-^^' -^^d^ 't:'^::'"' 
 
 nas, as it wer^ ^u "'^"^ng. i he man u-k^ . "° ^^s a 
 
 When then, . ' °^""^ "-ee of human 
 
 discourse in . "'"'i f "'"'^^ ■^l»-'al'ing, the torm' 
 dust on the ee '""^"'"- «^a„,. "k^JsT""-" ^"""""ed the 
 
 .orrent, vita, ^^^J^^ ,"'" '"" '-" '"e - Ine ,^1 '"-^ ''"' '' 
 saves It • ^p^^ •. • , ^^ aJune wlm n-; ^"^^^ aio p ; j,/v. 
 
 trouble. ' He „ '?"' ■■> ''"^*n borne fo'T ""'"■' "'^ "eal,,, ^ 
 -ved too rnuch ;f "' "'= f^'" °f '"ei ;::",?• ^"^ » vessel of 
 '» save much r, 1 """"■" '" eontinunir. "'°"'^''' ''as, he 
 
 r-ity:': „.:;;:.„- <o«nd theset:;:::: f'^^^^-o,, 
 
 h"nter o^I 7,^7 '""'"' '"''''' '-' hi, hfe „ " 'f ^''"' "e con- 
 
 -ce thread': "t"4 ''" *" *"* '"^^i^l^T' '"' '""^'^ 
 from his bow and ■"■'^■'''' °f 'he deer senV '"■■"■' "e at 
 
 "-der, tt,:; ;:t Z'^'" ■; ■°""'^''' 'he"; ;;: --d arr„w 
 
 h,s assa,lant, and, with th; ,ul " "" hke 
 
 e ■I'sks, 50 gored him 
 
1NI>IAN FAIJLE LITERATURK 
 
 II 
 
 the crow to the 
 • crow had told 
 I'-^d .'retd them 
 ^ 'eft the town 
 V 'I'ved in the 
 J Chudakarna, 
 ^^^R^nir bowj, 
 "f-'ng the day. 
 y n'gJu, till I 
 ^^- One day 
 
 surprised to 
 "11 that bowl. 
 ''K^ustriously 
 IS it is said : 
 Its, on fruits 
 ' than, when 
 e who has a 
 ^ well shod, 
 '^nd poetry, 
 o delicious 
 ■ of human 
 
 'inued (he 
 ^'■e but as 
 'fountain 
 '"Op; life 
 is wealth 
 vessel of 
 . vvas, he 
 but folly 
 'le man : 
 id liber- 
 he con- 
 ed. A 
 J killed 
 
 He at 
 
 arrow 
 ar like 
 d hini 
 
 that he at length fell like a tree cut at its roots. A serpent, hidden 
 in the grass, in the struggle, was trampled to death. A prowling 
 jackal chancing to come that way, found the dead bodies of man, 
 deer, boar and serpent, and thought himself in luck, to find three 
 months' lood in one spot. In gloating over his prey, and estimat- 
 ing for how long a time they would appease his hunger, he niggardly 
 decided that the sinew of the hunters bow string would serve him 
 for the first day, and began to eat it. But so soon as he had bitten 
 the bow string through, in the twinkling of an eye the up-springing 
 bow [)ierced Dirgharava, the greedy jackal, to the heart. It is well 
 not to long after the unattainable, nor to bewail the lost. \\'heel- 
 like, sadness and joy turn round for all. It is folly to be over 
 anxious for what the Creator has already provided. The mother's 
 breasts stream with milk when her offspring come into the world. 
 He who makes the geese white, the parrots green, and the peacocks 
 many colored, he will provide for thee. 
 
 The three friends lived happily together, and a deer, who was 
 fleeing from his pursuers, was admitted as a member of the little 
 circle. From the deer they learned that hunters were coming that 
 way, and after much deliberation, and good story-telling, which we 
 must pass over, they resolved to seek out another pool, and started 
 on the way. The poor tortoise was caught en route by a hunter, to 
 whose bow he was bound. The three friends were dejected at his 
 capture, but decided to attempt his rescue so long as the hunter 
 kept in the forest. On his way homeward, the hunter, tired and 
 thirsty, sat down at the foot of a tree to drink some water. The 
 mouse quickly contrived a plot to free Manthura. The deer must 
 feign to be dead, stretched out by the water's edge, the crow must 
 stand over him picking something with his beak, which would be 
 sure to catch the hunter's eye, who would hurry to secure the deer, 
 when he, the mouse, could gnaw the string which fastened the 
 tortoise, who could escape into the water, and the deer, at the last 
 moment, could jump up and run off. All happened as the mouse 
 planned it, and when the hunter went back to the tree, where he 
 had left his bow, and found the tortoise gone, he blamed himself for 
 his loss, and went his way, thijiiking that the man who leaves a cer- 
 tainty to run after something doubtful is apt to lose both. With 
 this apologue, V^ishnusarman closes his first story collection, called 
 Mitralabha, or the gaining of friends. 
 
M 
 
 19 
 
 W 
 
 
 of differenTtl' "T'' ^'•'^''-n^na loaded hi 
 
 '"crease his wealTh f' ^"'' ''<»■ "i« reasorh!' "'' "'^''• 
 
 co„su„rft , '""^'r'"' ""' '°°''">8 "P^rds " " """ ''^^"'^ "ch 
 
 -eiionMt ' aS h" ''° ^ " '"°P. w ""iT' •'^■"^^ 
 f er .ha. mc.hod/knowlL ' '"""'' "'" ■" ke he an. hT'""'- 
 In travelling ,t, , ""'edge, virtue and w^i.u hill ^ and 
 
 ™^de .he mercha„uht?r^'''' ''"'' ™"'d g^ „7J' '''^ °'™' 
 »■•«. 'hey can bear n„r ' "° "«'" how well law "• ^his 
 '°"g as a man ^ '^"" "-''hou. the aid Zl ^ """''' P^ns 
 
 'afy claims t« k "° Karataka, .wo ,».i, , ^his was 
 
 ''ere. '0^0! """''""' "' 'he lion's cou«k' '''' ''''"^'■ 
 -ha. .hel had s/"""- "•" °' -"« w'^h r'" " """ ""•^ 
 Karata J. ;r.h:: ! v" '"^'^ «--- aj ,■ sTth"'.'^' °^" 
 ^^-■ness; 'heirtst ;::7°,^'''^'-'-onr« tt':^^^^^^^ 
 beyond their own sphere o/h, , ""' "P f°< and ,f * ° '"■ 
 fa'e to .ha. of ,h. . "'>'• '" 'he end .hfv Z\ ^^ "«"' 
 »edge from .hi '"°"''^>'' "ho lost his li". h «'" ^''^■'^ " hie 
 
 •he cmZZ:7'''' "''""■ I' '"■•ght be a«' "i:"'"^ °"' "'^ 
 
 -™eeisT:aT.h:™::T\«--'f^'o„.t^^^^^^^^^^^^^ 
 
 «nd if anyone were JI' ""'° ^°' even f™™ reelrdfu "'"S^- 
 h^We .0 fare as Z bl /"°"«'' '" ">'»k he Td h ^*""'"S' 
 , '^--akall!'7;~^^^<''d. ^ ''^'^. he would be 
 
 'aundryman in Varanasi h.T "°'^' ""d Kara.ak, 
 
 'ay near him ti ^ ^'^od a dontA,, *• j 6""as. in 
 
 hm,. Iheasssaidtothedos. friendTh ""'^""^dog 
 
 S- 'r'end th,s ,s your business! 
 
INDIAN 1 Ai!I-E LITKRATURK. 
 
 'f-cart With wares 
 -• He was rich, 
 
 - was anxious to 
 •ay become rich 
 f poor, u^af^j. 
 
 ''' the pitcher; 
 ' ^"t hill ; and 
 y be acquired. 
 
 - of his oxen, 
 further. This 
 a man's plans 
 'ence ; and so 
 ondering over 
 Jrned for his 
 ■'■ed ox to his 
 
 • and in time 
 
 that forest, 
 ard, to him, 
 ^ went back 
 This was 
 had heredi- 
 t that time 
 iJked over 
 
 king^ but 
 
 not their 
 hey went 
 are a Jike 
 
 out the 
 
 said,, for 
 
 doings ; 
 he king, 
 'ould be 
 
 ys: A 
 lis wife 
 Js. In 
 a dog 
 siness. 
 
 '3 
 
 why don't you bark and wake our master? The dog replied, my 
 dear you have no right to cross question me ; and I may ask if you 
 know how faithfully I have watched this house day and night, so that 
 for years our master has had no trouble, and that because he has 
 had none, he does not now deem it worth while to feed me. 'I'he 
 ass calls the dog a villain for harboring such thoughts in a time of 
 peril, and angrily declaring he will see that the master is roused, 
 starts to bray. He brayed loud and long, and the laundryman 
 awakened from a sound sleep, became so enraged at the noise, that 
 he ran out with a stick and thrashed the ass nearly to death. 
 
 The two jackals confidentially talk over the numerous trials, 
 which servants, even of high estate, must bear from their masters, 
 and of the fulsome flattery the successful courtier must stoop to 
 practise. Damanaka shrewdly foresees, that the strange bellowing, 
 heard by the lion, in the forest, may be turned to account, as a 
 means for getting his friend and himself reinstated in Pingalica's 
 favor, and to that end he seeks an interview with the lion. The story 
 of the meeting is admirably told. He seeks the presence of his 
 august master because he thinks there is an opportunity to render 
 his sovereign a slight service. The meanest things are sometimes 
 found by his majesty to be useful ; and his talents, be they what 
 they may, with unreserved devotion, are at the royal service. Where 
 all are put on the same dead level, the services of the most energetic 
 are lost to the state. A diamond may roll on the anklet of a nautch 
 girl, and a paste jewel may flauntingly debase the crown of a monarch ; 
 no matter, let them stay where they are ; glass after all is but glass, 
 the gem remains a gem. A jewel that should have a gold setting 
 may chance to be set in lead, it does not grumble, but shines just the 
 same ; the jeweller who blundered in the setting is the one who is 
 culpable. The lion avers he did not wish to force Damanaka tf 
 retire, and that ill disposed tattlers must have told his servant lies. 
 Damanaka is invited to speak in confidence as the king's minister, 
 and asks the lion why he did not drink at the river, and what causes 
 him apprehension ? He hnnself has also heard that terrible noise 
 but cannot advise the lion till he learns more about it. One thing 
 is certain, an animal that bellows in such a manner mu%t be a creature 
 of immense strength. Both jackals are reinstated in the lion's favor, 
 and together they go in quest of the bellowing monster. On the way 
 Karat ika asks Damanaka if he knows what the noise is. Damanaka 
 
'4 
 
 '^^>MN FAm.F Lr,,.^ 
 
 ^^P''es. of course he L. "''' ^'''^^^rvuE. 
 
 ^^'••smadebyl^'^^-^^^elcnevv before, 
 
 ^^'^•^ vvi.y did I ^''' '" '-^n'mal hckf ' ^^'^f fo see the i; 
 
 '/ ajd you not jpIi .i , . J'^'^'fa/s eat ev^r,. ^ ^ '-Of^- 
 
 ;'""'' »e should /,,.ve "' ''^"8 ». If J ;^7'->- d-^y- Karn,.^ 
 
 V ^ so tie went tr. .l S'^f tie mni.o ^^tiast 
 
 "f . -'d Of when h " ,'; """^^ -d go,T: T ''^ "»'•'-' 
 
 '■^eaf 'l.e cat .vith e«n ., ""^ "use seirnnrK '" '" "s 
 
 ,';""i'e'-, ca,„e out of t , T"™' 0"« day Xe ,!^ ""= ^^ ^^'^ to 
 '''•-" day the hon cared „ ' ^""^ "■••'^ caui h ?''' "'•'^™ '^y 
 hunger. "''''"" '""^e for , he ea, t .',>'"'" «'■ ^on! 
 
 ,,, *^'d> much finesse t, ,- ' ' '°"" "'™''^'^ f'°™ 
 
 IheoxsoonbecameTr """"do. wer»h 
 
 ''^^^'.'e purveyor fo , / ™",'^ =' ™"r,, and Tn , °''^'" '"S^d.er. 
 
 "'■'' told while u,e,e,,-""''°"'<^h„ld In "" "^ "le jaclca,, 
 
 ='"d brings forward s "," "''' ■ '"' ">"> ^basem" ,?" " ,""' ''•^■•••■'"'<» 
 similar way • „ , "'""S mstances of ^., ' " ""='"own foul, 
 
 ::f 'o ^o„r;a;r r :^ '^^^ ■'>--: t^^^^^ --ered :':■ 
 
 "^"'y made the lion and o!- "« ""' «'°nh atter f """' " '"^^'^ 
 •hem enemies, An ! ! ™"*' >^by couir 1 "' '^'W for- 
 
 "'"^^ "ear at hanj V"" *^''-^ '"em at , "f^ -f-esen,s 
 
 «" make falsehood oolc ^ "^' '■" ' distance sf ?"""""^'= "f 
 
 ''"^P^^e. He teils ti^e L '™"'- '^an,anaka ° ' "'"''" P'°"er, 
 
 "°™ ; and he tells jL" ™"«dentially tHTV"'"''^^'^ '" his 
 
 devour hin,. At la th °' ^""Wentially 1' f "'' '^ims at his 
 
 "' "-' deed ; a^rs t: ?"" '>' '"^w o^ o ? '"'^"''^ '" 
 „ ' l^e third book narr,7 , '''°"d book. '°'' ''"'^ --epents 
 
 "^■•. Md how fl,e „r. ''°"' 'he -eese , , 
 
 "'e goose fortr^I .d k' '" ""^ *>""^e oftfend ''''™* "ent to 
 -"hject of the go'I , .'"-^^d thegeese. ZT"'" ^"'™"« o 
 
 ''^V'' P'ece of burnt Cf,P;-- 
 
 ft.''^ 
 
 ^-:^ 
 
INDIAN KAIiLK LITRkAIURE. 
 
 IS 
 
 "'^ to see the Uon 
 
 ' "^"^y- Karntaka 
 '"oth J,e. do y 
 
 oil 
 
 master's 
 
 in ? \ 
 
 a never hear the 
 
 '''-'I'-a Mountain 
 »t 't even gnaw- 
 '^'^^^'t- At last 
 '^^ ^ts natural 
 '"'» Jie treated 
 ^'t kej)t in itg 
 le was sure to 
 '^e, driven by 
 - cat. From 
 Perished from 
 
 M together. 
 
 the jacka/s, 
 ?ood stories 
 's Karataka 
 rown fault, 
 J'ered in a 
 ^e, it were 
 
 ^hey for- 
 
 ""ovv make 
 
 ^presents 
 >Jance of 
 
 i plotter, 
 
 in his 
 
 at his 
 ends to 
 '"epents 
 
 'ent to 
 ice to 
 lukha, 
 parts. 
 T the 
 
 Vindhya Mountains, which belonged to Chitravarna king of the j^ea- 
 cocks, when he 'vas cha'lenj^ed to tell who he was, and whence he 
 came. After making respectful answer, the peacocks asked him, 
 whether of the two countries and kings are the better, yours or ours? 
 In re[)ly, he said that his country was like a paradise, and his king 
 was worthy of his country, but as for theirs, he would advise them to 
 emigrate from such a desert. When he said this, they became ex- 
 asperated, as the monkeys did when the birds in a rain storm advised 
 them to build places of shelter. Advice to fools is like milk to a 
 serpent, ii only increases the natural flow of venom. 
 
 All this, after his return home, was related by the crane, to the 
 goose-king, Hiranyagarbha, who was interested in its recital, and 
 enquired what then was done. Sire, said the crane, they asked me 
 who made you king ; when I hurled back the taunt, and asked who 
 made your peacock king ; whereupon they tried to take my life. 
 The king laugiMngly hinted that the crane did not prudently 
 estimate his position in the midst of enemies, or he would have 
 controlled his tongue better. Did not the ass, clad in a tiger's skin, 
 come to grief through Iiis voice? The crane, going on with his 
 story, said : I was at length taken before the peacock-king, who 
 bade me return home and warn your majesty to prepare for war, 
 adding that he would send his own herald, the parrot, with me. 
 The parrot refused to accompany me, giving as his reason stories 
 showing the danger of being found in bad company. He knew of a 
 traveller, who, one hot summer day, lay down to rest under the 
 shade oi a tree. He slept soundly, and so long that the shadow of 
 the tree passed off his face, when a good-natured goose, who, with a 
 crow, lived in the tree, spread his wings and kept the sun's glare off 
 the travellei's face. The weary man slept pleasantly, and in his 
 deep sleep opened his mouiii. The crow, from his inborn ill-nature, 
 could not bear to see another hap[)y, even in sleep ; so he bespat- 
 tered the traveller's face with filth and flew ayay. The sleeper 
 awoke, seized his bow, and in his anger shot the goose, whom he 
 took to be the cause of his discomfiture. That is what came of 
 living with a villain. I said, the parrot, as herald, represented his 
 sovereign, and that if he came with me, I should So honour him. 
 The parrot said my action in stirring up bad blood between the two 
 countries branded me as a bad fellow, and fair words in the mouth 
 of such an one were as flowers out of season. He was not to be 
 
i6 
 
 
 .1 
 
 1^^ 
 
 ? i 
 
 s V 
 
 evidence of h/. "hcelwright was bv h- ■ 
 
 be here/ ' ' "" "^ P"-, .. he.,d t „ ^^ "-k ,o /nfc™ 
 „ '''"^ «°-e-,.,„g ,„, , , .. '"^ "^-°*. will soon 
 
 ,^. "■'"'■'ter avowed t^ '""""" '■"'d a .secret . 
 
 t '"^ ^^"ool-n-as, 'p'"; » debtor for ^'^'^j'^ ""''^ "«"• A 
 ''^'i-'-e the counril ll[ •^"""denti.-.l spies IT' ""^ ^"oramus 
 
 "'^ decided to Ions ™ r':^"" '" "'"'• '""> nab ""' ""'^'"'""d. 
 " -■°»' with his r«l™ ' " ^"" '•"J Provtsion : '!;"''"'"^"'- le 
 coming „.„^ " ""^ came from Ceylon ,l,r'' ^''^J' «oon 
 
 --y"-ing, and he „, 2 T'' "'"'^ «» m c^f ^^ !"■' -^ m the 
 "°"'' were land bi^d* " "^"'""i' Bu ,1 ''"'="■ ^'-"ost 
 
 '^"^■*- A/oree::^'''r^ "«''-' pea rarr"''^'"-d 
 "■^"y meets with hTre '^' '^''^ "esert^ from h"" "'^^ «■'"' 
 "■°^W tell the king :T1: ^ did the blue Lt, ,°™ ""« Sen- 
 ''•^'. fron, which he cou r "'■'J'^^''^' °"e nith frf^' °' ^^"-^ he 
 "■■-'5 next mornin,r 1 '"" «" ™t. liv f '"'° «" "'digo 
 
 5- ^'-ce :i r^l " l"^^'^" "-P ;Th?, '° ^^ dead, ^e 
 ^'°'» Ihe indi„„ . " ™''' '» 'he woods U'h .^*"'' ""^ at the 
 -"'d turn his' mi t,"" "-de a m>e MueM ^ "" '"^ P^" 
 •"g^her, and info ^ " »"'« '>cco„n, s' he 'n ' "'°"Sh. he 
 P^«'din«divi„i,; 7;/','^^"' 'hat he had been ""''' '^' i^<^ka,s 
 
 f Soddess ha^in ,t/r'"''"«°-'"tr°''r ''^ '"« 
 'he essence of certn "" "^ sovereign hi ""'• •''"d that 
 
 - badge Of I s s r"' '"''■'■ '^'•i «atr'"'r '^'"' -'h 
 ,^^ f 'he forest-d ' ^^^ "- -gh. 'o r' e w r "'^' ^"'- 
 h'^ hody guard and con. T'"'"'- I" 'he ll " ''™«"'^ed 
 '°"'. "Sers and uch ,!"'"' ^'"^'"dan's wett'^; '" '"^ '-«". 
 f^ofed them and „ , " ""^le animais IT ■* ^^"'^ ' ^W when 
 jactal race, rle "ffT''' ""'' "-ffea d ,0 T '° ''' ^°"". ' " 
 
 t'--^P"-us Lfa'd^ -7 -ely de/ectelf :r^' '"^ "'""' 
 P'-;""-d a scheme f; b' "" "'^ •''"d cunning ,„',*' ''"""^ ''>' 
 '""hght, when the full" T"^"^ "" hhn fo u ° ""^ '"be 
 
 :™-"^d signal, a[i:;; ^,^d assembled, aU ;e '^^^r""- ^' 
 '^ace instinct of th^ J^^^^'' hegan to yelj t . ^ ^'''^' ^^ a ,)re- 
 
 ^ '"^'=-« was dominant: Lh;i^-P-. 'he 
 
 yelled w,th the rest. 
 
INDIAN I'Alil.K 1,1 IKMA TURK. 
 
 17 
 
 ^o discredit the 
 ' ^^'-Jf to inform 
 acocks, will soon 
 
 °""^'i, at which 
 "A'er officers of 
 - t'l^'ir fool. A 
 r, an ignoramus 
 P/>ointed, and 
 ^s announced, 
 '^rtincnts. It 
 ■• ^ery soon 
 ^^'s aid in the 
 '^"ew almost 
 'Minister said 
 ht was with 
 vn side gen- 
 ^ vvhom he 
 ° an i„digo 
 >e dead, he 
 and at the 
 ■V his peJt, 
 nought he 
 ^e jackals 
 i by the 
 
 and that 
 "11 with 
 ''a' color 
 'ogni;ced 
 reign, 
 ^yhen 
 urt, he 
 
 whole 
 led by 
 
 tribe 
 At 
 1 /)re- 
 ', the 
 rest. 
 
 Then the gre.uer bcasis knew him to be only a jackal, and turned on 
 him and slew him. Whatever the natural disposition nmy be, that 
 will be hard to concjuer. It a dog were made king, some time or 
 another he would gnaw his master's shoe. 
 
 The parrot was accorded an interview and was so insulting and 
 boastful, that the king grew angry with him, and was about to accept 
 tlie crow s offer to kill him, when the mmister interfered just in time 
 to prevent the disgrace of an ambassador being killed at the court to 
 which he was accredited, h. sjjy brings news of the a|)proaching in 
 vaders, and that the goose-king is harboring a traitor. The minister 
 reiterates his bcliet that the traitor is none other than the crow ; but 
 the king misled by the apparent zeal of the crow to kill the parrot, 
 declined to withdraw his confuience. The crow, he said, was a 
 stranger, but strangers were sometimes of great service. A foreigner 
 by his kindness may become as a relation, and a relation by Ms 
 harshness as a foreigner. The seeds of death are nurtured in one's 
 own body, the healing drug in the distant forest. Did they not know 
 the story of the prince, who, after a short service gave up his only 
 son to save his sovereign, 
 
 The invading army was attacked on the march, and suffered 
 great loss. But the fortr^Cj of war were retrieved ; the fort was 
 invested ; the crow, who was a traitor, threw fire into the stores, and 
 after hard fighting on both sides, the great fortress of the goose-king 
 was taken. 
 
 The fourth book relates to peace. It opens with Hiranyagarbha 
 comolaining against the evil fate which led him to trust the crow. 
 The minister reminded his majesty, that, though when we jrr it is 
 pleasanter to blame our unlucky stars than ourselves, nevertheless it 
 is unwise to do so, and it is e(iually foolish to disregard the advise of 
 well wishing friends, as the tortoise did when he fell from the stick 
 and perished. The story runs. In the Magadha country there is 
 a lake, where lived two geese and a tortoise, who was their friend. 
 One day the tortoise heard some fishermen say, that on the morrow 
 they would fish in that lake, and expected a great catch of fish and 
 turtles. He told his friends the geese, and asked whai he should do. 
 They told him they would think over it to-morrow. The tortoise 
 said : his trouble was near at hand, and action must be taken at once 
 to be of any service. Said he, you nuist at once help me to go to 
 another lake. Plow can we do that, said the geese ? If you, replied 
 
i8 
 
 INDIAN KAHI.E I.ITKRATURK, 
 
 the tortoise, only hold a stick in your hills, hy iti ends, I can grip it 
 with my beak in the middle, and you ran r •••••y me through the air 
 to the other lake. Good, said the geese if wc carry you in that 
 
 fashion, the crowd helow will cry and jeer at such a sight, and if you 
 lose your temper and gibe back, you will he killed. What, said the 
 tortoise, you think nic a f(j()l, not a word in reply will I say. But 
 when the cowherds ran after this novel convoy through the air, one 
 saying it were as well to roast that tortoise here where he falls, and 
 another saying, no ; belter to take him home first, the foolish tortoise 
 forgot his promise, and angrily told them they should lick the dust 
 first. And saying that he fell and was killed. 
 
 'rw(j or three other stories, we must pass by, branch off from 
 this main story told by the minister. A spy came in at the close of 
 the ministers story and confirmed what was before known of the 
 crow'.s treachery. Alas, said the king, he who confides in his enemies 
 from their aj^parent regard or service, sleeps on a tree top, and is 
 rudely awakened when he falls. The spy reports that he saw the 
 crow at the court of the jieacock-king, where he was boasting of his 
 service and laying claim to reward. The king, said the spy, would 
 have given him a viceroyalty but for the earnest protest of the 
 minister, who said such a favor conferred on a low man disappears 
 like water upon sand, and a mean man put in a high position will 
 seek to hurt his master, as the mouse sought to kill the muni who 
 had made him a tiger. This is the tale. In the (lautama forest 
 there lived a great sage named Mahatapa. One day a crow flying 
 away with a mouse let it fall, when the sage picked it up and reared 
 it. A cat sought to catch the mouse, when it ran terrified, for pro- 
 tection to the sage, who, by virtue of his sanctity, changed it into a 
 cat. When the cat stood in terror of a dog, he turned it into a dog ; 
 and when the dtig was terrified by a tiger, he made it a tiger. But 
 to the good man, the animal was always the same mouse, whose life 
 he saved, 'i'he tiger knew this, and thought, so long as this man 
 lives my anteredenis will never be forgotten. So the tiger made up 
 his mind to kill him. But the good man knew the wicked design of 
 the tiger and made it a mouse again. 
 
 The minister also told the story of a crane, which lived at the 
 Padmagarbha lake. The crane was old, and no longer able to fish 
 for himself. As he stood dejected, a crab saw him and asked why 
 he stood fasting there ? The crane said he had heard fishermen 
 
INDIAN KADLE I.ITKRATUKE. 
 
 i«; 
 
 arrange to drain the lake, and as his livchhood depended on llsh, 
 that would he death to him. The danger nffected hiin so nnich that 
 he cared nothing about food all that day. I'he news soon spread 
 through the lake district, and in so peculiar a strait, the fish conrlud- 
 cd they might for once consult with a natural enemy, so they asked 
 the crane what they should do. Me said ho knew no w.iy of safely 
 for them, unless one by one he took them to another lake. The 
 foolish fish consented, and one by one they were eaten by that wick- 
 ed crane, lie then cast greedy eyes on a crab whose (lesh was a 
 novelty, and agreed to carry iiim also. 'I'he crab saw that the ground 
 over which he was borne was strewed with fisii bones, and knew too 
 well their meaning. Hut (juickly deciding to make the best fight he 
 could, he seized the crane's neck with his claw, cut it in two and 
 killed him. So the crai^e wiio might have gone on eating fish, died 
 because he could not resist the temptation of crabs' fiesh. 
 
 The peacock-king called an assembly to consider the subject of 
 national treaties, with a view to learn if he should make an alliance 
 with the g'jose-king. The crow was (juestioned, as he had tarried a 
 long time at Hiranyagarbha's court. lie said the ng was of noble 
 mind, of the old heroic type ; and that the man cfjual to his minister 
 would be hard to find. The peacock-king asked: If they are so 
 able, why did they not detect you as a spy ? The crow said : The 
 minister at once suspected me, though there is no more skill in 
 deceiving a frank generous man, than there would be in slaying a 
 child who goes to sleep in your lap. The truthful man judging others 
 by himself, thinks they are truthful, as the Brahmin did with regard 
 to his goat. A certain Brahmin, who lived in the forest of (lautama, 
 went to the village and bought a goat for sacrifice. ( Joing home with 
 the goat on his shoulder he was duped by three sharpers through 
 their persistent preconcerted lying. The first scoundrel said, Hallo 
 Brahmin, why are you carrying a dog on your shoulder? The 
 Brahmin said, it is not a dog but a goat for sacrifice. Going on a 
 short distance, he met scamp number two, who put the same question. 
 This time the Brahmin laid the goat down on the ground, locked at 
 jt several times, then put it again on his shoulder, and went on some- 
 what disconcerted ; for the minds of good men even sometimes 
 waver through the words of knaves. Those who trust deceitful men 
 in the end rue it, as the camel did when he trusted to the honor of 
 the jackal. The Brahmin met with the third rogue, who asked 
 
INDIAN KAIILK LITKRATURK. 
 
 what he meant by carrying a clog about on his shoulder? 'I'he 
 Hrahmin, completely nonplussed, gave up the beast, purified him- 
 self with water, and went home. The rogues took up the goat and 
 ate it. 
 
 'I'he peacock-king asked the crow how he could live so long in 
 the enemy's country. The crow said, he who works for his own 
 ends or his master's profit, cannot afford to be nice as to what he 
 does. The old serpent Mandaviserpa carried his enemies on his 
 back, that he might in the end oat them. 'I'he serpent who was old, 
 and darted after his prey with difficulty left his place in a deserted 
 garden, crept through the broken wall, and lay dejected near the 
 margin of a small lake. A frog saw him in this plight, and asked 
 him why he did not look after food. The serpent whetted the frog's 
 curiosity by saying he did not know why a frog should take an in- 
 terest in his ill-fated life, and then said he had bitten and killed the 
 son of a Hrahmin, who smote him with a curse, compelling him 
 thenceforth to carry frogs on his back, at their pleasure. Some of the 
 finest passages in the Hilopadesi. are put in the serpent's account of 
 the death of the young Hrahmin, and the accompanying reflections 
 over life, death, and that sorrow which, in some form, is the invari- 
 able concomitant of human life. Life decays like the evaporation of 
 water from a jar, imperceptibly, but surely. The water dries up ; 
 and each day's life brings every living being a stage nearer death. 
 All things earthly are transient. Even friendships are rare, and of 
 short duration A plank may meet a plank in midocean, but never 
 to meet again ; and in like manner on the great sea of life, is the 
 meeting of friends. As the wavelets of a river run on and never 
 return ; so, night and day^ and in a stream that flows on for ever, 
 glide away the lives of morals. The frog tctld the serpent's story to 
 the king of the frogs, who went and took a daily ride on the serpent's 
 back. On the first day he glided along swiftly to the delight of the 
 frftg-king. On the second day his pace was sluggish, and when ask- 
 ed the reason, he said he was exhausted for want of food. Upon 
 this, the frog-king gave the serpent leave to eat some of the common 
 frogs. I accept this great favor from your majesty, said the serpent ; 
 and daily thenceforth he partook of the frogs till none of the com- 
 mon frogs was left ; and then, he ate the king. 
 
 The minister said : And I fear lest you think with reason 
 enough of old stories. The goose-king is a fit ally, and we should 
 
 
INDIAN KAItl.t: IJri'.KATURE. 
 
 31 
 
 1> 
 
 4 
 
 make a treaty with him, The king was not for fiiving up the war, 
 and waxed angry and blustered, till his minister reminded him that 
 any ill considered action would lead to regret, as did the Brahmins 
 killing of the jnungoose. 'I'he Jirahmin Madhava lived in Uj jain. 
 One day his wife left him at home, to be for a short time custodian 
 of their young child ; and shortly after came an invitation to him 
 from the king tf) attend a Sraddha ceremony. The Brahmin was 
 poor and feared if he did not go at once somebody else might go in 
 his place. Still he hesitated on account of the child. In the end 
 he resolved to leave the child m the protection of a tame mungoose 
 which liveil in the house. So he went, and had not been long away 
 when a cobra approached the child's bed. I'he mungoose killed it, 
 and tore it in pieces in his rage. Soon after, the lirahinin came 
 back, and the mungoose rolled at his feet for joy. But when the 
 Brahmin saw that his mouth and feet were bloodstained, he at once 
 concluded that the beast had killed his child ; and in his wrath he 
 killed the mungoose. When he went into his house he found the 
 child safe and a deadly serpent torn to pieces, and then he bitterly 
 repented his hasty and cruel deed. Do not, said the minister to the 
 king, you in like manner give way to passion in these negotiations. 
 The king yielded to the advice of his minister ; and Vishnusarmans 
 lessons are thus brought to a close. 
 
 There is a striking similarity between these fables, and many 
 found in the Greek, and other branches, of Indogermanic literature. 
 Which of these literatures has given, and which has received, and to 
 what degree, are still vexed (juestions. Some scholars incline with 
 Jacob Grimm to the opinion that many of these apologues must have 
 had a common origin, in the distant past, before either Grecian or 
 Indian literature was in being. Their Indian parentage is without 
 doubt Buddhistic. Numerous Indian stories from old Buddhist 
 books, are found in Chinese works written more than a thousand 
 years ago, while many of the animal fables are in the Jatakas *or 
 Buddhist birth stories of which there are five hundred and fifty. 
 Thus it is tolerably certain, that many of these stories which, in 
 different quarters of the earth, for ages have given instruction to, and 
 provoked mirth amongst men, are offshoots from one of the greatest 
 of, what are called, the natural religions of the world.