Developing a friendship…

Read the previous part here…

And so, to make friends with me, at least come out once and meet me. I feel what I ask is fair”, said LaghuPatanaka.


Hiranyaka said “I have to be careful. If I think that no one will harm me just because I am good at heart or talented, then I would be very foolish. For it is said…”

सिंहो व्याकरणस्य कर्तुर् अहरत् प्राणान् पिर्यान् पाणिनेर् मीमांसा-कृतम् उन्ममाथ सहसा हस्ती मुनिं जैमिनिम् ।
छन्दो-ज्ञान-निधिं जघान मकरो वेला-तटे पिङ्गलम् अज्ञानावृत-चेतसाम् अतिरुषा को ऽर्थस् तिरश्चां गुणैः ॥ ३५ ॥

siṃho vyākaraṇasya kartur aharat prāṇān piryān pāṇiner mīmāṃsā-kṛtam unmamātha sahasā hastī muniṃ jaiminim |
chando-jñāna-nidhiṃ jaghāna makaro velā-taṭe piṅgalam ajñānāvṛta-cetasām atiruṣā ko ‘rthas tiraścāṃ guṇaiḥ || 35 ||

A lion killed Panini, the creator of Grammar, an elephant crushed the philosopher Jaimini to death, a crocodile killed the Vedic scholar Pingala…so it is evident that ignorant and violent creatures do not have any regard for intelligence and goodness.

Not one to be outdone, LaghuPatanaka responded immediately. “What you said is right, but hear me too.

उपकाराच् च लोकानां निमित्तान् मृग-पक्षिणाम् ।
भयाल् लोभाच् च मूर्खाणां मैत्री स्याद् दर्शनात् सताम् ॥ ३६ ॥

upakārāc ca lokānāṃ nimittān mṛga-pakṣiṇām |
bhayāl lobhāc ca mūrkhāṇāṃ maitrī syād darśanāt satām || 36 ||

People become friends by helping each other. Animals and birds can also become friendly due to some reasons. Fools act friendly because of greed or fear, but good people can become friends just be meeting each other.

मृद्-घट इव सुख-भेद्यो दुःसन्धानश् च दुर्जनो भवति ।
सुजनस् तु कनक-घट इव दुर्भेदः सुकर-सन्धिश् च ॥ ३७ ॥

mṛd-ghaṭa iva sukha-bhedyo duḥsandhānaś ca durjano bhavati |
sujanas tu kanaka-ghaṭa iva durbhedaḥ sukara-sandhiś ca || 37 ||

Friendship with a wicked man is like an earthen pot;  It is easily broken into pieces and cannot be brought together again. But friendship with a virtuous man is like a pot of gold, which is difficult to break and can be easily repaired.

इक्षोर् अग्रात् क्रमशः पर्वणि पर्वणि यथा रस-विशेषः ।
तद्वत् सज्जन-मैत्री-विपरीतानां तु विपरीता ॥ ३८ ॥

ikṣor agrāt kramaśaḥ parvaṇi parvaṇi yathā rasa-viśeṣaḥ |
tadvat sajjana-maitrī-viparītānāṃ tu viparītā || 38 ||

Just as sugarcane becomes tastier and juicer as you bite through each node, the friendship of good men becomes sweeter with each passing day. In the case of friendship with wicked men, it starts well, but decreases with each passing day.

आरम्भ-गुर्वी क्षयिणी क्रमेण लघ्वी पुरा वृद्धिमती च पश्चात् ।
दिनस्य पूर्वार्ध-परार्ध-भिन्ना छायेव मैत्री खल-सज्जनानाम् ॥ ३९ ॥

ārambha-gurvī kṣayiṇī krameṇa laghvī purā vṛddhimatī ca paścāt |
dinasya pūrvārdha-parārdha-bhinnā chāyeva maitrī khala-sajjanānām || 39 ||

The friendship of the wicked and the good can be compared to the shadow of  the  first and second part of the day. The shadow that falls in the first half of the day is long in the beginning and then slowly reduces in size; the shadow that falls in the latter part of the day is small in the beginning, but increases in size with every passing minute .

“And so please believe me. I am a good person. And I promise you that I will be good to you.”

Hiranyaka said “I do not believe in your promises. It has been said that शपथैः सन्धितस्यापि न विश्वासं व्रजेद् रिपोः – even if an enemy tries to reconcile through promises of goodness, one should not trust him. It is well-known that Vrtra the demon was killed by Indra after deceiving him with false promises.

It has also been said that न विश्वासं विना शत्रुर् देवानाम् अपि सिध्यति – even gods cannot win over their enemies without getting them to trust them first, as was the case of Indra and Diti. And also…”

बृहस्पतेर् अपि प्राज्ञस् तस्मान् नैवात्र विश्वसेत् ।
य इच्छेद् आत्मनो बुद्धिम् आयुष्यं च सुखानि च ॥ ४२ ॥

bṛhaspater api prājñas tasmān naivātra viśvaset |
ya icched ātmano buddhim āyuṣyaṃ ca sukhāni ca || 42 ||

A wise man should not trust even Brhaspati the preceptor of Gods, if he desires his own welfare, long life and happiness.

And also,

सुसूक्ष्मेणापि रन्ध्रेण प्रविश्याभ्यन्तरं रिपुः ।
नाशयेच् च शनैः पश्चात् प्लवं सलिल-पूरवत् ॥ ४३ ॥

susūkṣmeṇāpi randhreṇa praviśyābhyantaraṃ ripuḥ |
nāśayec ca śanaiḥ paścāt plavaṃ salila-pūravat || 43 ||

It is due to the smallest acts of carelessness that the enemy gets an advantage over a person, and then destroys him much like the waters that enter the smallest holes of a ship and end up sinking it.

न विश्वसेद् अविश्वस्ते विश्वस्तेऽपि न विश्वसेत् ।
विश्वासाद् भयम् उत्पन्नं मूलान्य् अपि निकृन्तति ॥ ४४ ॥

na viśvased aviśvaste viśvaste’pi na viśvaset |
viśvāsād bhayam utpannaṃ mūlāny api nikṛntati || 44 ||

You should not trust anyone who is not fit to be trusted. Even if you trust anyone, you should not trust him fully. The fear (of getting betrayed) rising from this trust, eats away the roots of friendship.

न बध्यते ह्य् अविश्वस्तो दुर्बलो ऽपि बलोत्कटैः ।
विश्वस्ताश् चाशु बध्यन्ते बलवन्तो ऽपि दुर्बलैः ॥ ४५ ॥

na badhyate hy aviśvasto durbalo ‘pi balotkaṭaiḥ |
viśvastāś cāśu badhyante balavanto ‘pi durbalaiḥ || 45 ||

A weakling, who is wary of trusting anyone, escapes being killed by the strongest of men, but a strong man, who trusts easily, can be killed by a mere weakling.

सुकृत्यं विष्णु-गुप्तस्य मित्राप्तिर् भार्गवस्य च ।
बृहस्पतेर् अविश्वासो नीतिर्-सन्धिस् त्रिधा स्थितः ॥ ४६ ॥

sukṛtyaṃ viṣṇu-guptasya mitrāptir bhārgavasya ca |
bṛhaspater aviśvāso nītir-sandhis tridhā sthitaḥ || 46 ||

These are three strategies mentioned by the wise. Vishnugupta states that one should be secretive about one’s ways, and act according to the circumstances. Shukracharya states that one should make friends with many, but Brhaspati says that one should never trust anyone.

महताप्य् अर्थ-सारेण यो विश्वसिति शत्रुषु ।
भार्यासु सुविरक्तासु तद्-अन्तं तस्य जीवितम् ॥ ४७ ॥

mahatāpy artha-sāreṇa yo viśvasiti śatruṣu |
bhāryāsu suviraktāsu tad-antaṃ tasya jīvitam || 47 ||

Even if one has abundant wealth, and based on that trusts his enemies, or people who do not love him, he lives only that much time till his trust lasts.

Hearing Hiranyaka’s arguments, Laghpatanaka was at a loss of words. He didn’t know how to give an answer to these clever responses, and instead thought to himself “Amazing! Hiranyaka is so learned, and so well-versed in the strategic and administrative sciences! Its no wonder that I thought of becoming his friend.”

And so Laghupatakana said…

to be continued…