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A crooked and mean person only knows how to cause ruin; he cannot resolve anything. A rat is strong enough to make the rice-pot fall down; not to keep it back straight.stand it back up.
Karataka continued venting at Damanaka. “Maybe this is not your fault alone. Pingalaka is also to blame because he trusted you. The kings who ignore the advice of the learned, and instead rely on the guidance of the wicked, always face their downfall. And if with a minister like you, it is not surprising that the learned avoided Pingalaka’s company. It is said…”
गुणालयो ऽप्य् असन् मन्त्री नृपतिर् नाधिगम्यते ।
प्रसन्न-स्वादु-सलिलो दुष्ट-ग्राह्यो यथा ह्रदः ॥ ४१५ ॥
guṇālayo ‘py asan mantrī nṛpatir nādhigamyate |
prasanna-svādu-salilo duṣṭa-grāhyo yathā hradaḥ || 415 ||
Even if the king is the most virtuous person, if he is advised by a wicked minister, he is avoided by all, much like a lake filled with pure and tasty water is avoided if a crocodile stays in it.
“And what is the use of advising a fool like you? It is just a waste of time. The wise say…”
नानाम्यं नमते दारु नाश्मनि स्यात् क्षुर-क्रिया ।
सूची-मुखं विजानीहि नाशिष्यायोपश्यते ॥ ४१७ ॥
nānāmyaṃ namate dāru nāśmani syāt kṣura-kriyā |
sūcī-mukhaṃ vijānīhi nāśiṣyāyopaśyate || 417 ||
A dry log which cannot be bent, does not ever bend. It is very difficult to cut hard stone with just a barber’s blade. Likewise, oh Soocheemukha, it is very difficult to teach an undeserving student, he will never understand.”
Damanaka said “Why do you say that?”
Karataka replied…
सूचीमुखवानरयूथकथा
The story of Soocheemukha and the group of monkeys
In a mountainous region, not so far away from here, lived a group of monkeys. They lived on the mountain, and passed their days swinging from one tree to another, and sustaining on whatever food they could find.
One evening the mountains were hit by a severe snowstorm. It then started raining heavily, and such extreme climate brought the monkeys no respite. They shivered due to the cold and hunger, and huddled together under a tree. Some of the monkeys collected a few red berries, and they all sat around these fruits, blowing on them, trying to make them glow like embers, hoping to get some relief from the bitter cold.
A bird named Soocheemukha (the one with a needle-like piercing mouth) who was perched on the tree, saw them indulge in this wasteful exercise and said “Hey! You all are so foolish. These are not embers; they are red berries. They will not bring you any warmth, and so will not help you fight this cold weather. Instead, why don’t you migrate to a region which does not have such extreme weather? There are some caves on the other side of this mountain range, maybe that would also be a good place to stay. From what I see, the clouds are very dark and the rain will continue for a few days.”
An old monkey, who was seated closest to the berries, shot back “You are the fool! Why do you poke your nose into our affairs? It is said…
मुहुर् विघ्नित-कर्माणं द्यूत-कारं पराजितम् ।
नालापयेद् विवेक-ज्ञो यदीच्छेत् सिद्धिम् आत्मनः ॥ ४१८ ॥
muhur vighnita-karmāṇaṃ dyūta-kāraṃ parājitam |
nālāpayed viveka-jño yadīcchet siddhim ātmanaḥ || 418 ||
If one desires one’s own welfare, he should not converse with a gambler who has just lost money, and a person who has just failed in completing a task.
“And so, we don’t need your advice, or your concern.”
Soocheemukha didn’t give up. He kept saying “Listen to me! These are not embers; they are red berries. They will not bring you any warmth, and so will not help you fight this cold weather.”
This continued for an hour. One of the monkeys, who was already frustrated because his blowing on the fruits had not resulted in any benefit, got angry, climbed up the tree, caught the bird, and wrung his neck.
“And that is why”, said Karataka,
A dry log which cannot be bent, does not ever bend. It is very difficult to cut hard stone with just a barber’s blade. Likewise, oh Soocheemukha, it is very difficult to teach an undeserving student, he will never understand.”
“And also…”
उपदेशो हि मूर्खाणां प्रकोपाय न शान्तये ।
पयः-पानं भुजङ्गानां केवलं विष-वर्धनम् ॥ ४२० ॥
upadeśo hi mūrkhāṇāṃ prakopāya na śāntaye |
payaḥ-pānaṃ bhujaṅgānāṃ kevalaṃ viṣa-vardhanam || 420 ||
Advice given to fools does not enlighten them; it only increases they annoyance. Much like milk fed to a snake does not reduce the poison in its fangs; but only increases it.
“And also…”
उपदेशो न दातव्यो यादृशे तादृशे नरे ।
पश्य वानरमूर्खेण सुगृही निर्गृहीकृता ॥ ४२१ ॥
upadeśo na dātavyo yādṛśe tādṛśe nare |
paśya vānaramūrkheṇa sugṛhī nirgṛhīkṛtā || 421 ||
Advice should not be offered to anybody and everybody. Learn from that incident where a person with such a nice home, was rendered homeless.
Damanaka said “How did that happen?”
Karataka replied…
to be continued…
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