Table of Contents
Recap
Hiranyaka started telling his story, about why he wanted to leave his house and go somewhere far away.
Chudakarna the brahmin, had complained to Veenakarna that his food was getting stolen by a mouse. He also said that irrespective of the height at which he hung his vessel, the mouse would be able to reach it. To that, Veenakarna said, there has to be a reason. Everything has a reason; else why would Lilavati start showing affection towards her elderly husband? And with that, he started telling the story.
Why Lilavati hugged and kissed her husband
In the ancient Gaura kingdom was a grand city called Kaushambi. In this city lived a wealthy merchant called Chandandas. He had spent his entire life accumulating wealth and had never thought about settling down in life. One day he had gone visiting a fellow merchant when he saw someone who changed his life. The merchant whom Chandandas had come to visit had a young daughter. There was something in that young woman. Seeing her, desire awoke in him. Even though she was old enough to be his daughter, Chandandas went to the girl’s father and said he wanted her as his wife. He also gave a lot of gifts and presents and seeing that the merchant handed over his daughter, Lilavati, to Chandandas as his wife.
Unfortunately for him, Lilavati was a young woman full of passion and desire and Chandandas was unable to fulfil her wishes. So why would she love him? Like a freezing person would stay away from the cool moon, a person in heat would stay away from the sun, the same way Lilavati stayed away from Chandandas. This was a husband whose physical powers had withered with age. Chandandas did not feel like romancing his young wife, yet Lilavati had desires. She started looking around for a younger person. Even so, Chandandas was deeply attached to Lilavati. His wife was dearer to him, than his life. He was that person who could neither enjoy sensual pleasures at the same time, nor could he give them up. His condition was like that of a toothless dog who cannot chew a bone but continues to lick it because of his attachment to it. Time passed this way, and one day Lilavati came across a merchant’s son who was closer to her in age. She fell in love with him.
Whenever Chandandas stepped out of the house, she would invite her lover inside and they would spend time in each other’s arms. Once, Chandandas had to go out of the house for a long time. As soon as Chandandas stepped out, Lilavati invited her lover over. They were in the bed when Chandandas returned much earlier than expected. Seeing this, Lilavati hid her lover under the bed, tidied her clothes and then went and hugged her husband, and began kissing him. Taking advantage of the situation, the lover escaped through an open window.
The main door was open and an old woman passing by saw Lilavati passionately kissing her husband and wondered what had happened. Later she got to know the reason and scolded her for cheating on her husband.
Ending his story, Veenakarna said:
This is why I told you the story of Lilavati. Why suddenly hugged her husband and began kissing him. There was hidden reason for that.
Chudakarna heard this and said:
I think this mouse has a lot of wealth. Wealth is always the source of someone’s power.
Hiranyaka’s wealth is stolen
Hiranyaka then said:
After saying this, Chudakarna and his friend took up shovels and began digging. They then came across my stack of wealth. They then stole it. Then without my wealth, as Chudakarna had said, I lost my power. I became weak. It became very difficult for me to find food. Then one day, when I was looking for food, I was spotted by Chudakarna. My regal status was gone and I was like any other ordinary mouse. Without wealth, even the wise person’s efforts fail, just as small streams dry up in the summer heat. One who has wealth, has friends. Wealth brings about social status and people consider the wealthy person, wise. And without friends, the world feels empty. Poverty is the ultimate emptiness, as it takes away all comforts and joys. Poverty is worse than death because death is a momentary pain, while poverty is a lifelong suffering. A person may have the same senses, name, and intellect, but without wealth, they are perceived as a completely different, actually a lesser person in an instant. This is the reason why I decided that I will not stay there any longer. I did not want pity so I did not go sharing my story with anyone. A wise person keeps five things to themselves: loss of wealth, mental distress, domestic scandals, being cheated, and personal insults. Nine things should be guarded carefully: age, wealth, family secrets, private discussions, sexual intimacy, medicinal treatments, penance, charity, and humiliation. When personal effort fails and luck is against you, a person of dignity who has become poor should retire to the forest and lead a peaceful life and spend it in meditation. A noble person would rather die than show wretchedness or beg, just as fire may go out but never becomes cold while it exists. A noble person is like a bunch of flowers: they are either loved or they die unnoticed in the forest. Living by begging is considered an inferior and undesirable way of life. It is better for a poor person to end their life in fire than to sacrifice their self-respect by begging from a miserly person. Poverty leads to shame, and shame destroys a person's courage and strength. Without strength, one is insulted; insults lead to sorrow, sorrow to grief, grief to the loss of intellect, and the loss of intellect leads to total ruin. Poverty is the breeding ground for every form of misfortune. It is better to remain silent than to tell a lie. Begging for simple food is better than enjoying a delicious meal bought with someone else's money. Living in a forest is better than living in a city ruled by an unwise king. It is better to die than live in the company of evil. Three things in a person's life are described as futile or worthless: claiming to be a scholar after only minimal reading, seeking physical intimacy through payment, and relying on others for one's meals. For those who are chronically ill, dependent on others for food, or sleeping in another's house, life is like a living hell. For such people, death is a form of relief. Just as the act of serving others consumes one's pride, just as the moonlight dispels the dark, just as advanced age takes away one's physical charm, and just as the sacred narratives of Lord Vishnu and the Great Goddess wash away one's sins; in that very same manner, the act of begging strips away hundreds of noble virtues from a man's character. Even though I was aware of all this, greed took over me. I wanted to regain my lost wealth.
Hiranyaka talks about desire and contentment
Hiranyaka continued:
Greed unsettles the intellect and gives rise to desire. A person suffering from desire finds no peace. So, as I was moving slowly and stealthily, Veenakarna struck me with a piece of bamboo. It was a split piece of bamboo and I wasn’t gravely hurt. I then began to think about my situation. A person who lacks contentment faces endless calamities. Greed makes one unhappy, anxious, and unable to control one's own senses or desires. For a person with a satisfied mind, the whole world feels full of wealth. This is like a person wearing shoes; to them, it feels as if the entire earth is soft. For those whose minds are at peace, having been fully satisfied, there exists a joy that can never be found by those who wander aimlessly, consumed by the constant craving for riches. The one who turns away from expectations and embraces a state of being desireless is the one who has truly learned, truly understood, and truly accomplished everything in life. That person is blessed, who has never performed service at the gate of the wealthy for the sake of money, has never experienced the sting of deep separation, and has never been forced to speak words of desperation. Such a life is truly worthy of praise. For a person possessed by desire, even a vast distance seems like nothing if there is a promise of gain. For a truly contented person, the arrival of wealth does not change their sense of self or command their obsession. Therefore, in this situation, it is for one's own well-being to firmly decide upon the course of action that is most appropriate. When troubles arrive, acting after making a firm, well-thought-out decision is the only way to avoid further ruin. Those who act impulsively or without careful consideration find themselves facing new disasters at every single step. And it is said: for the honour of the family, an individual may be set aside; for the sake of the village, a family may be sacrificed; for the benefit of the nation, a village may be surrendered; and for the sake of one's own integrity, one must be ready to abandon the whole world. When I compare the value of simple water obtained without effort against a sumptuous meal earned through fear, I see that true joy exists only where the heart is free from worry; indeed, to have plain water as a free man is far better than to feast as a dependent. This is why I have come here.
Manthara talks about Dignity
Hearing this, Manthara said:
It is better to live under a tree in a forest filled with lions and elephants, eating wild roots and fruits, sleeping on grass, and wearing bark, than to live as a poor man among one's own kinsmen where one is looked down upon. A greedy person buries their wealth deep in the earth to hide it, such hoarded, unused wealth is as good as gone—it prepares its own path to the underworld even before the owner can use it. A person who suppresses their own needs and comforts just to accumulate wealth is like a worker carrying a heavy load for others. They endure all the hardship of gathering the wealth, but never actually benefit from it themselves. If being "rich" simply means having wealth that is never given away and never enjoyed, then everyone is technically rich, because wealth that stays buried or unused is of no consequence to anyone. Wealth that is not used for spiritual purposes, the support of the learned, or the welfare of one's kin is destined for a bad end. It will either be destroyed by fire, stolen by thieves, or confiscated by the state. Wealth has only three possible outcomes: it is given away, it is enjoyed, or it is destroyed. If a person fails to do the first two, the third—destruction—is inevitable. As long as a miser's wealth is unused, it might as well belong to someone else. The only time the world realizes the money actually belonged to the miser is when it is lost, because that is the only time the miser shows any emotion regarding it. While it is natural to save or collect for the future, excessive hoarding is dangerous. Think about the jackal who was killed by a bow because of his habit of over-hoarding.
Hiranyaka and Laghupatanaka wanted to know about the story. Manthara began telling the story.
Analysis
The text talks about the king of Gaura which should mean Bengal. The city of Kaushambi was never in Bengal, so either this is another city altogether different from the city of Kaushambi or a name just used for the story.
There was a portion that I did not touch upon. That portion talks about the negative aspects of women. That did not seem right to share here, so I skipped that.
When I was going through the English version of Hitopadesha, the story of Lilavati was something I could not find in my version. It is there in the Sanskrit and Bengali versions though.
Takeaways from the text
A lot of content here is about wealth and power. It says that wealth is not just luxury. It is the energy behind the efforts of a person. It goes on to say that when a person loses money, their senses and intellect remain the same, yet society perceives them as a different, lesser person.
Every action has a hidden cause. Lilavati’s sudden affection for her husband wasn't love, but a move to hide her lover. Always look beneath the surface of sudden changes in behaviour.
A substantial part of this text is about self-respect and dignity. It says it is better to live in a forest eating roots than to live as a dependant or a beggar. Living on another's charity or being chronically ill is described as a state worse than death.
Self-respect is the highest wealth. While money provides status and friends, the loss of it should lead toward detachment and meditation rather than the indignity of begging.
Names, meanings and the contextual fit
There are two new names introduced here. I will talk about them.
| Name | Meaning / Etymology | Contextual Fit |
|---|---|---|
| Lilavati | Lila (Play/Charm) + Vati (Possessing). | She represents "playfulness" and desire, which leads to her charming yet deceptive behaviour. |
| Chandandas | Chandan (Sandalwood) + Das (Servant/Devotee). | Suggests a person of traditional or "cool" temperament, perhaps lacking the "heat" of passion Lilavati sought. |
Character Representation
The content here is my viewpoint. If there is any other view point, I would love if that is shared. It would help broaden the understanding.
- Hiranyaka (The Mouse): His power was external (wealth). When the wealth was stolen, his status was taken away.
- Lilavati (The Wife): Represents Desire. Her actions show that physical needs cannot be suppressed by wealth. If the fundamental reason (satisfaction) is missing, deception follows.
- Chandandas (The Merchant): Represents Attachment without Capacity. He is the "toothless dog" licking a bone. He has wealth and a beautiful wife but can neither truly enjoy her nor let her go, leading to his own humiliation.
Presence in Panchatantra
While the story of the mouse and the brahmin is there in Panchatantra, the story of Lilavati and Chandandas does not seem to be in Panchatantra.
What is there in Panchatantra, is a story of a brahmin, his young wife and thief. The brahmin’s wife did not like her husband as he was old. One day a thief came inside the house. Seeing him, the wife hugged her husband and the brahmin thanked the thief for bringing his wife close to him.
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