THE STORY OF THE KING OF FROGS AND THE SNAKE
"In a certain
well there lived a king of frogs, by the name of Gangadatta.
"He was
tormented by the nagging of his relatives, so he climbed up the water-wheel and
slipped out, thinking to himself, 'How can I have revenge on them, for they
say:
"When you are
in trouble and someone does you harm,
Or when
you are in difficulties and someone jeers at you,
By paying
them back in their own coin, I believe, you are regenerated." '
"While he was
thinking this, the frog king saw a snake going into his hole. He thought to
himself, 'I know what I will do. I will take this snake down into the well and
get all my relatives eaten up. It's true what they say:
"A wise man
should uproot his strong enemies By pitting them against each
other
And getting
them to destroy each other. A thorn is taken out by another thorn And then, they
are both thrown away. Thus pain is turned into joy." '
"Thinking this
over, the frog king went and stood outside the entrance of the snake's hole and
called, 'Ho, you! Priyadarshana! Come out!'
"When the snake
heard this, he thought to himself, 'I am sure that is not one of my own kith and
kin calling me, for he speaks differently from us. And anyway, I have no friends
whatsoever. So, I'll stay right inside my hole until I find out who he is, for
Brihaspati has said:
"A man should
never be friendly with someone Whose family, character,
temperament
And place of
residence,
He does not
know."
'Perhaps the
person who is calling me, wants to catch me, using the enticement of Mantra,
flute music or herbs.'
"So cautiously
he called out, 'Who is it?
"The frog king
replied, I am Gangadatta, the king of frogs, and I have come to make friends
with you.'
'Well!' said
the snake. 'That is very hard to believe! Can grass and fire ever be friends?
They say:
"Even in dreams,
Never approach anyone
Who could cause your death."
'So why are
you talking such nonsense!'
'What you say
is true,' said Gangadatta, 'You are indeed my natural enemy. But I am being
tormented to death and I have come to you for your help. I want you to eat my
enemies.'
'Tell me,'
said the snake, 'who is tormenting you?'
It's my
relatives!' said Gangadatta.
'Well,' said
the snake, 'where do you live? In a well, a pond, or a lake?'
'In a well,
built of layers of stone!' replied Gangadatta.
'But I have no
legs,' said the snake, 'how can I get into the well? And even if I could, where
could I sit and eat your relatives? Go away!'
'Please!' said
Gangadatta. 'I will show you how to get into the well comfortably and inside, at
the edge of the water level, there is a very nice hole where you can sit and eat
them. Come with me.'
"When he heard
this, the snake thought to himself, I have grown old and can't even catch a
mouse without great difficulty. Now this fellow, an enemy of his own species, is
showing me a way to live in comfort. I shall go and live there. It's true what
they say:
"A.
wise man, whose limbs have grown weak
And has no source of
income,
Should always arrange things in such a way
That he continues to earn his livelihood without any effort."
'
"And so, the
snake said aloud, 'Gangadatta, if this is really true, then lead the way and I
shall follow you.'
"Gangadatta
replied, I shall take you by an easy route and, show you the hiding place, but
you must spare my own friends. Eat only the ones I point out to
you.'
'We are
friends now,' said the snake, 'so don't be afraid. I shall do exactly as you've
told me.'
"With these
words, the snake came out, embraced the frog ' king and started along with him.
When they reached the well, the frog king led the snake down by way of the
water-wheel and took him to the hole. He made the snake comfortable and then
pointed out to him those relatives who were not on good terms with him. And; one
by one, the snake ate them up.
"When these
frogs had been exhausted, the snake said to the frog king, 'Please, give me some
food! After all, it was you who brought me here, so you are responsible to feed
me.'
'Snake,' said
the frog king, 'you have done me a friendly service. Now go home the way you
came down the water-wheel.'
'Gangadattal'
said the snake. 'That's not fair! The hole where I used to live, must have been
occupied by someone else by now. No, I will stay here. Go on giving me your
relatives one by one. If you don't, I will eat up every one of
you!'
"When the frog
king heard this, he was overwhelmed with grief and he thought to himself, 'What
a stupid thing I have done in bringing the snake here. If I oppose him, he will
eat us all. It's true what they say:
"There is no doubt about it:
Making friends with a stronger enemy
Amounts to eating a poisonous pill."
'So everyday, I
will allow him to eat a friend, for they say:
"Seeing the enemy ready to grab everything,
A wise man placates him by offering him a little
And thus, for a time, keeps him at bay,
just as the ocean placates the subaqueous fire
By offering it a small quantity of water,
From time to time."
And,
"When a complete loss is imminent,
A wise man gives half away voluntarily
And works with the rest,
For a complete loss is unbearable."
And
again,
"A wise man never sacrifices big interests
For smaller ones."
'This is
real wisdom!'
"So, the frog
king came to a decision and he began to offer the snake one frog everyday. The
snake ate what was offered to him and also began to eat the other frogs as well,
without the knowledge of the frog king.
"One day, the
snake also ate up jamnadatta, the son of Gangadatta, along with some
others.
"When
Gangadatta came to know this, he began to wail in a loud voice, 'Oh, the
wretched fellow that I am!' And he was inconsolable.
" Then his wife
said to him, 'What is the good of crying now? You are the cause of the
destruction of vour own kith-and-kin. Who will rescue us? You had better work
out a plan to escape or else to kill the snake.'
"Now, in due
course, all the frogs were finished off. Only Gangadatta was left. Then
Priyadarshana said to the frog king, 'Gangadatta, I am hungry! There are no
frogs left. Please get me something to eat, for after all, you brought me
here.'
'My
friend,'replied Gangadatta, 'as long as I am here, have no need to worry on any
account. Now, if you allow me to leave this well and go to another one, I shall
win the confidence of other frogs and bring them here.'
'You have been
like a brother to me!' said the snake. 'I shall never eat you. Now, if you carry
out what you have promised, you will be to me like a father. So, please
go.'
"And so,
Gangadatta offered prayers to innumerable gods and left the well.
"The snake
waited anxiously for his return, but all in vain. After a long time
Priyadarshana said to a female lizard living near by, 'Madam, please give me a
little help. You have known Gangadatta for a long time. Would you find him for
me in one of the other wells and give him a message? 'tell him, "If the other
frogs aren't coming, at least you return quickly. I can't bear to be separated
from you." And tell him, "If I harm you, may I lose all the merits I have earned
in my life so far!" '
"The lizard
found Gangadatta in one of the other wells and said, 'Gangadatta! Your friend
Priyadarshana is anxiously waiting for your return. He won't harm you. He has
staked all his good deeds as a guarantee for your safety. So come along, don't
be afraid.'
'But,'
Gangadatta replied, 'what sin will a starving man not commit? Weak people become
cruel. Madam! Please tell Priyadarshana that Gangadatta will never agan return
to the well.'
"And with those
words, he sent her away.
"And so,
wicked water-dweller," continued the monkey, "like Gangadatta, I too shall never
go to your home again."
When the
crocodile heard this, he said, "My friend! It is not proper for you to behave
like this. Please come so that I can free myself from the sin of ingratitude, or
else I shall begin a fast and starve myself to death at the foot of this very
tree."
"You fool!"
replied the monkey. "Do you think that I am as stupid as Lambakarana who, even
when he sensed danger, still allowed himself to be killed? They
say:
'He
came, then ran away,
when he saw the prowess of the lion,
but fool that he was, without heart or ears,
he came back once again and was killed.'
"How was that?"
asked the crocodile.
And the
monkey told:
The Story Of The Lion And The Donkey.