“Once upon a time, in a lonely matha*, there lived a Sanyasi called Dev Sharma*. Many people used to visit him and present him with finely woven garments, which he sold and got very rich on the proceeds. As a result of being so rich, he trusted nobody. Night and day he kept the treasure purse under his armpit and would not part with it even for a second. As they say: ‘Getting money is an arduous toil, And guarding it is even more of a trial. Coming and going money causes trouble, Damn this unending source of worry!’
“A swindler by the name of Ashadhbhuti, who robbed other men of their money, noticed that the Sanyasi kept the treasure purse under his armpit. He said to himself, ‘How could I rob this man of his money! It’s difficult to make a hole through the walls of the matha or to get in over the high gates, so what I’ll do is charm him with honeyed words so that he accepts me as his disciple. And when he has put confidence in me, someday he’ll fall into my clutches. As they say: ‘A man who has no desires, Doesn’t deprive others of their rights.’ And, ‘A man with no passion Doesn’t adorn himself, The fool does not speak subtly, And the man who speaks out his mind, Is never a cheat.’
“When he had resolutely made up his mind to carry out this plan, Ashadhbhuti approached Dev Sharma, stood before him with reverence and said, ‘Om Namaha Shivaya*! With these words, he threw himself humbly on the ground before Dev Sharma and said, ‘Oh, Bhagawan, this life is futile! Youth gushes by, like a mountain stream. Life is like a fire in the grass, all its pleasures are as transient as the clouds in autumn, and one’s relationship with friends, sons, wives, and servants is no more than a dream. This I have clearly realized. Now guide me that I may cross the ocean of life.’
“When Dev Sharma heard this, he said kindly, ‘My son, you are indeed blessed that you have come to give up the world in your youth. You ask for direction to cross this ocean of life. Then listen. According to my way of thinking: ‘The good man’s mind Has the peace of old age Whilst his body is still young, But the wicked man’s body Is feeble with age Whilst his mind remains young.’
“When Ashadhbhuti heard this, he fell on the ground before Dev Sharma, touched his feet, and said, ‘Oh, Bhagawan, initiate me in the secrets!’
‘My child,’ answered Dev Sharma, ‘I will, but on one condition, that you will never enter the matha at night, because Sanyasis are recommended to stay alone at night without company, and we will keep to it, you and I. For they say: ‘A king is ruined through bad advisers, A Sanyasi through company, A son through over-indulgence, A Brahmin through lack of studying the shastras, A business or a farm through neglect, And a family and character through contact with bad people.’
‘And so,’ continued Dev Sharma, ‘after taking the vow of initiation, you will have to sleep in a thatched hut at the gate of the matha.’
‘I shall willingly carry out your wishes,’ said Ashadhbhuti.
“At bedtime, Dev Sharma initiated Ashadhbhuti according to the rituals and made him his disciple. Ashadhbhuti massaged his hands and feet, waited upon him, and made him happy but nonetheless Dev Sharma did not part with his money bag even for a second.
“After some time, Ashadhbhuti began to think, ‘He does not trust me at all! Shall I knife him in broad daylight, poison him, or kill him like a wild animal?’
“While he was thinking this over, the son of one of Dev Sharma’s disciples, from a nearby village, came to give him a personal invitation and said, ‘Bhagawan! Today the ceremony of the sacred thread takes place in our house. Please come and sanctify it with your presence.’
Dev Sharma gladly accepted the invitation and Ashadhbhuti accompanied him. On the way, they came to a river. When Dev Sharma saw the river, he folded his money bag in his robe and said, ‘Ashadhbhuti, look after this robe with the vigilance of a Yogi until I return.’ And he went into the bushes. The minute Dev Sharma’s back was turned, Ashadhbhuti vanished with the money bag.
“Meanwhile, as Dev Sharma was answering the call of nature, he saw in the distance, two golden rams, fighting each other. They rammed into each other until the blood oozed out, but still, they refused to stop fighting.
“Meanwhile, a blood-thirsty jackal arrived on the scene and began to lick the blood from the ground. Dev Sharma thought to himself, ‘If he comes in between the two fighting rams, he’s sure to get himself killed.’
“Sure enough, craving for the blood, the jackal got caught up in the fight. He was hit on the head, fell down, and died.
“Dev Sharma finished what he was doing and slowly returned, thinking about this incident and also about his money. When he got back, he failed to find Ashadhbhuti but saw only his robe, lying on the ground. He peered anxiously inside it but could not find his purse. He began to cry out, ‘Alas! I have been robbed!’ And he fell to the ground, in a swoon.
“After a minute or so, he returned to his senses. He got up and began to shout ‘Ashadhbhuti, where are you, you swindler! Answer me!’ After he had shouted like this in a loud voice, he slowly trailed Ashadhbhuti’s footsteps until, just before evening, he came to a village. He stayed there a short time and then returned to his matha.
“And so,” continued Damanaka, “that’s why I said: ‘The jackal between the fighting rams And the Sanyasi who trusted Ashadhbhuti, Were themselves to blame.'”
“So, under the circumstances, what should we do?” said Karataka.
“At this very moment, I’m getting inspiration,” said Damanaka. “I shall cleverly create discord between him and the master and separate them, for they say: ‘An arrow, shot from a bow May or may not kill a man, But the wit of a clever man Can destroy a host of enemies.'”
“Oh, but brother!” said Karataka. “If, somehow or other, Pingalaka or Sanjivaka finds out about your scheme to bring about discord between them, you’re done for!”
“My dear Karataka,” said Damanaka, “don’t. talk like that. When you fall on bad times and luck’s against you, you should go on trying, for: ‘Lakshmi bestows her favors, On the zealous man. She scorns the idle, Who depend entirely on luck. So, brush destiny aside And try with all your might. If you still fail, Find out what went wrong.’
“And so,” Damanaka went on, “that’s why I shall continue to work on them so subtly that neither of them will have a chance to know anything about it.”
When he heard this, Karataka said, “Very well then, brother, but I feel frightened because Sanjivaka is wise and the lion is fierce: Even though you have a sharp wit, I think it’s beyond your power to separate them and get away with it.”
“It may seem beyond me,” said Damanaka, “but I’ll manage it, for: ‘What cannot be achieved by force, Can be achieved through deceit. With the help of the gold chain, The female crow killed the black cobra.'”
“How was that?” asked Karataka.
And Damanaka told: THE STORY OF THE COBRA AND THE CROW
