Monday 28 February 2022

28 MORAL FABLES FROM SANSKRIT LITERATURE-TALE 28

                                             

The story of the Bird with Golden Dung

There was a big tree over the mountain side. There lived a bird by name Sindhuka on its branch.  Whenever it dropped its residue that turned into gold.  One day, a hunter came to that spot.  As soon as he came, he got astonished on watching that bird dropped its residue which turned as gold.  Then he thought thus: “Over these years, I have hunt and caught many birds but I have never seen like this.  By thinking so, he spread the net to trap the bird.  The foolish bird Sindhuka without knowing it, sat on the place where the net was spread and got trapped.  Then it was caught by the hunter immediately.  Then the hunter freed the bird from the net, caged it and brought to his hut.  Then he thought thus: What is the use of killing this bird?  If anyone knows this, it will be reported to the king and will lead me to danger.  So, I myself shall take this bird to the court of the king.”  Then he did so.

On watching the bird, the king got surprised and also delighted.  Then the king ordered the guards thus: Look after this bird carefully. Rear up it well as per its wish.

At this juncture, a wise minister said to the king thus: “Oh! King! What is the purpose of having this bird?  How can this bird yield the gold instead of eggs and droppings?  Please release this.

Being released by the king, as advised by the minister, the bird sat on the lofty arch of the main entrance and dropped the residue which turned into gold.  Then the bird this

“Poorvam thaavadhaham moorkho dvitheeyaf paasabandhakah l

Thatho raajaa cha manthree cha sarvam vai moorkhamandalam ll

At once I was a fool. Then I got trapped in the net due to my foolishness.  Then the king, the minister and also the guards became fools after me.

Moral of the story:

“Gathaanugathika lokah na lokaf paaramaarthikah”

No one in this world think up to their real knowledge.  On the contrary every one simply follow others in their actions.

(This story is taken from the titled Kaakolookeeyam - the 3rd volume of the book PanchaThanthram which has five volumes viz., MitraBedhah, MitraLaabhah, Kaakolookeeyam, Labdhapranaasam and AparikshitaKaarakam written by Vishnu Sarma was an Indian scholar.  The exact period of the composition of the Panchatantra is uncertain, and estimates vary from 1200 BCE to 300 CE.

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