Table of Contents
The Fate of Dirgharav and the Arrival of Chitranga
Recap
The guest Veenakarna started telling his host that there was reason for everything. He said that, because of a specific reason, the young Lilavati hugged her aged husband. He then told the host that the mouse Hiranyaka was able to jump as he had wealth, and wealth gave power. The host, Chudakarna, and Veenakarna then dug and stole the mouse’s wealth. With that, Hiranyaka lost both his power and status. He tried to regain his wealth but was attacked by the brahmin Chudakarna. Hiranyaka figured out mental peace was important and decided to leave the place. He decides that having simple water as a free man is superior to feasting as a dependent. The tortoise Manthara adds that wealth that is neither enjoyed nor shared is effectively useless. He starts telling the story of a jackal who dies because of over hoarding.
The foolish jackal Dirgharav
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Somewhere in India was a prosperous town called Kalyanakataka. In that place lived a terrible looking hunter called Bhairava. One day, while chasing a deer, he ended up travelling toward the Vindyachala mountains. There, he managed to catch the deer and kill it. Bhairava then decided to carry his prize back. He picked up the carcass and he had just placed it across his shoulders, when he spotted a wild boar. He decided to catch the boar. He could not do that, while the deer was on his shoulder. He kept the dead deer on the ground. Then he took an arrow and aiming that towards the boar, released the arrow. The arrow struck the boar. Writhing in pain, the boar lunged towards Bhairava and gorged him with its tusks. The tusks ripped the hunter and he fell down, dead. For it is said: whether by water, fire, poison, weapons, hunger, disease, or a fall from a height, every living being eventually meets its end through one cause or another. The boar also collapsed on top of Bhairava and died. Incidentally, a snake which had been crawling there, got caught between the hunter and the boar and was smashed to death.
A jackal called Dirgharav was out searching for food. He came across the site and could not believe his eyes. A dead hunter, a dead deer, a dead boar and a dead snake. Dirgharav began thinking about this feast. He thought:
What a day! I have a choice of food. I have heard this saying somewhere; unforeseen troubles arrive in the lives of people naturally and without invitation similarly, happiness also occurs unexpectedly. This is Destiny. It plays such a big role in our lives. Irrespective of our actions, destiny is the overreaching factor. Let me think, with the amount of meat that is lying here, I should be able to live comfortably for three months at least. The hunter will last me a month and then the deer and the boar for two. The snake will last me a day. Let greed not take over me. The bowstring of the hunter’s bow is made from animal hide. Let me gnaw on this for now.
Saying this, Dirgharav picked up the bow and started gnawing at the bowstring. As he chewed on the string, the bow string began to fray till it snapped into two. Before Dirgharav could understand what was happening, he was dead. With the string breaking, the tension in the bow had released suddenly. The bow then had recoiled and pierced his heart. The last thing that was heard there was a loud scream uttered by the soft voiced Dirgharav.
True Wealth and Desires
Ending his story Manthara said:
This is what I was talking about. The dangers of hoarding or excessive accumulation. Accumulation should be done daily but not excessively. Only what a person gives away in charity or consumes for their own sustenance can truly be called their wealth. Once a person dies, others enjoy what is left behind. What you give to worthy people and what you use for yourself day by day is the only part of your fortune that is your true property. You are simply guarding the rest for someone else; you will never get to enjoy that. Forget it, my friend Hiranyaka; what is the use of describing or dwelling on the past now? Think of the mindset of the wise people. They do not crave what is unattainable, and they do not wish to grieve over what is already lost. True intelligence is revealed during calamities. Wise people do not lose their mental balance or become confused when facing trouble.
My friend, one must always remain enthusiastic and energetic. It sets the tone for the entire passage—that passivity is the enemy of progress. Even those who have studied the scriptures are considered fools if they lack the practical application of that knowledge. The person who is action-oriented is the one truly regarded as learned. A well-known medicine cannot cure a patient simply by its name being mentioned. Healing requires the physical act of taking the medicine. For someone who is afraid of exertion, even the most detailed scientific methods or rules provide no benefit. Success requires the courage to work. If a lamp is held in the hand of a blind person, will it illuminate objects for them? The light is present, but the capacity to use it is absent. Therefore, friend, you should maintain your composure. Kings, wives, priests, ministers, clouds, teeth, hair, nails, and men do not look good or command respect when displaced from their proper station. Knowing this, a sensible person should not easily leave their position. Yet, the fear of leaving are the words of a weak person.
Action, Adaptability, and Prosperity
Lions, noble people, and elephants leave their place to find new opportunities. In contrast, crows, cowards, and deer perish because they stay stuck in one spot. For a courageous and spirited person, there is no distinction between home and foreign land. Wherever they go, they conquer that territory through the power of their prowess. Just as frogs are drawn to a watering hole and birds to a lake, all forms of wealth and prosperity are naturally and irresistibly drawn to a hard-working person. One should accept happiness and sorrow as they come. Like a wheel, joys and pains keep rotating; neither is permanent. Let me tell you what prosperity, (Lakshmi), looks for. She seeks a home with someone who is enthusiastic, not a procrastinator, knows how to act, is free from vices, brave, grateful, and a firm friend. A brave person attains a position of great honour even without wealth. Conversely, a miserly or weak person may possess wealth but will still be looked down upon. The splendour of a lion comes from its nature and virtues. Can a dog ever achieve that same aura, even if it wears a golden wig like a lion?
Desires, Security, and Character
Pride arises from thinking "I am wealthy," and despair follows the loss of that wealth. In life, Ups and downs are like a ball that is bouncing on the ground. The harder a ball is hit against the ground, the higher it bounces back. The shadow of a cloud, the friendship of a wicked person, freshly grown crops, the company of certain women, youth, and wealth are all described as things that are enjoyable only for a brief moment. One should not struggle excessively for basic livelihood, because the Creator has already made provisions. As soon as a living being is born, they get to drink their mother’s milk. Provision precedes the need. The same power that turned swans white, parrots green, and peacocks colourful will surely provide you with a means of living. Since money is painful to earn, stressful to lose, and blinding to possess, how can it ever lead to real peace? If you want wealth just to do good deeds, it is better to remain without desire; it is wiser to stay away from mud than to wash it off after getting dirty. A wealthy person is constantly pursued by predators wherever they go. They live in constant fear of the state, fire, water, thieves, and even their own kin, much like every living creature fears death. In a life which is already full of hardship, what is more painful than the fact that our desires are never fully met, and yet those desires refuse to leave us? Money brings little joy because it is hard to guard, and losing it feels like dying; therefore, one should not be preoccupied with it. If you abandon greed, who is poor and who is a master? But if you let greed grow, you become a slave to your own wants. Desiring one thing only leads to more wanting; the only goal truly worth achieving is the state where desire finally ends. Great people have affections that last a lifetime, anger that vanishes in a second, and a capacity to let go of things without any emotional attachment.
After listening to this, Laghupatanaka said:
Manthara, I have tremendous respect for you. You have all those qualities that one looks for in an ideal person. You are truly blessed. Only the virtuous people are capable of rescuing other virtuous people from trouble, just as only a strong elephant can pull another elephant out when it is stuck in the mud. A person is considered to be an ideal person based on one specific criterion: hospitality and reliability. If those who come seeking help or those who come seeking protection never have to leave feeling disappointed because their hopes were shattered, then that host is truly great.
Having established a bond based on mutual respect and shared principles, Laghupatanaka, Manthara and Hiranyaka began living together happily in the forest. Food was abundant and they roamed around as they pleased.
The trio meet Chitranga
One day when the three friends were sitting in a corner, talking, they heard a noise in the bushes. They became alert. A beautiful deer called Chitranga was being chased by some hunters. Trying to escape, the deer had been hiding in the bushes. Sensing the bushes were not safe, it had jumped out, causing the noise. Hearing the noise, Manthara jumped inside his lake, Hiranyaka went inside a hole and Laghupatanaka flew up and sat on the highest branch of a tall tree. From there he started looking around. No, there was no danger. He shouted out that everything was normal. Hearing this, Manthara came out of the water and Hiranyaka also came out of the hole. They approached the deer. He was a beautiful looking deer. They spoke to the deer and realized it meant no harm and was also lonely. They invited Chitranga to stay there with them.
Chitranga said:
I had come here looking for shelter, and I have found three friends along with that. I am very lucky.
Hearing this, Hiranyaka said:
By coming here and accepting us as your friends, you have become our friend. A true friend is known to be of four kinds: a relative by blood, one bound by an agreement, a family friend, or one who has been rescued from trouble.
Hearing this, Chitranga found some soft grass which he began eating. His hunger satisfied, he went to the lake and drank some water. He then sat in the shade and started talking to them. Manthara was curious and asked Chitranga:
This forest is not known to many. It is an isolated place. So how come you were being chased by someone? What happened? Do tell us.
Chitranga said:
You may have heard of King Rukmangada of Kalinga. He is out on a military campaign. He has camped close by, on the banks of the river Chandrabhaga. He is planning to come here, to Karpuragaura. It is evening now, and I think they are planning to start for this place, at dawn. I heard this when the king was discussing this with his ministers. This place itself will become unsafe for us if we stay here.
The four talk about leaving
Hearing this, Manthara said:
I know of another lake, not far away. Let us all go there.
Hearing this, Laghupatanaka and Chitranga agreed. Hiranyaka smiled. When the others asked him why he was smiling, Hiranyaka said:
Once Manthara goes there, he will be safe. I know that. I have seen that lake. The issue is, he cannot fly. He needs to travel over dry land. And if he travels slowly, he could get spotted by hunters, who could capture him. Strength is not an absolute quality, and it depends entirely on one's environment. Water is a safe place for Manthara and other aquatic animals. It is like a fort that protects those who live inside it. For animals like lions or tigers, their territory provides them the advantage. For kings, their protection is a minister. So, by leaving this lake and travelling to the other lake, you are leaving the safety of ‘your fortress’. Friends, let me say this. We need to come up with a proper plan. If we do not, we will suffer the way the merchant’s son did, when his wife was improperly handled.
The others wanted to know how this had happened, and Hiranyaka started telling that story.
Analysis
Let us go through what this tale is talking about.
Dirgharav’s story is warning against hoarding. Wealth is not what one has but what one can utilize. That too, wealth is what is spent on oneself or given away in charity. Just guarding wealth will be leaving it for someone else, after one’s death. Dirgharav could have lived a happy life, But no! Greed made him save the best for the last and gnaw on the bow string.
Another thing that this passage shares is quite significant. We read and hear tales from texts, like this. Manthara is saying – do not just hear or read. Apply that knowledge in life. Else it’s like a blind person holding a lamp, which is useless.
Try not to cry for what is lost or what is impossible to get.
Life needs to be like a bouncing ball, the harder it is hit against the ground (troubles), the higher it comes back (stronger, ready to face the troubles).
Peace comes by limiting wants.
The animals and what they represent
Let us take a look at the animals and what they represent. One thing to remember here (in Hitopadesha and Panchatantra) is that the characters are not just ‘animals’; they are the traits of humans. Trying to understand them is to understand what they represent.
- Dirgharav (The Jackal): He is an example of what happens to the greedy. Planning for three months is useless if one cannot execute the plan properly. Jackals are scavengers known for their cunning but also for their opportunistic nature. They follow predators to steal scraps. They are cunning and the tale in a way says that greed can affect the clever also. Derived from Dirgha (long) and Rava (sound/cry). It means ‘one with a long-drawn howl’.
- Manthara (The Tortoise): He is the voice inside us, that guides us. He stays hidden inside his shell. He is the one who tells Hiranyaka – move away from the past and look towards the future. Towards the end, his vulnerabilities are shown. A tortoise is slow, steady, and protected by its shell. It lives in both water and on land but is most secure in water. A tortoise without water is vulnerable. Manthara is slow, the others must protect him. This turns a group of different species into a family. And, because Manthara is wise, the faster animals have a reason to listen to him. Manthara literally also means slow or sluggish.
- Hiranyaka (The Mouse): He lost his wealth and without that wealth, he changed from a person with ‘material’ wealth to a person with ‘Intellectual’ wealth. He is the one who thinks beyond and smiles. The smile is not sarcasm; it is to point out the folly in the plan. The word comes from Hiranya meaning gold. Though he lost his physical gold to Chudakarna, he ended up with the ‘gold’ of intellectualism.
- Laghupatanaka (The Crow): He is the one with the bird's-eye view, he looks around, gets the overall view of the situation and conveys the same. A combination of Laghu (swift/light) and Patana (flying/falling), the word means ‘He who flies swiftly’.
- Chitranga (The Deer): His entrance shifts the tale towards hospitality and expands the ‘circle of trust.’ He is like a refugee here. His arrival also forces the existing trio to move to a state of altruism, along with self-preservation. A combination of Chitra (spotted/ beautiful) and Anga (body/limbs), Chitranga means ‘One with a beautifully spotted or painted body.’
The next two are not animals, but as I am talking about meanings, I thought I will club these two here.
- Bhairava (The Hunter): The word Bhairava means terrible, and it denotes the hunter as a terrible looking person.
- Kalyanakataka (The Town): Kalyana means ‘prosperity’ and Kataka means ‘capital or fort’; the word means a prosperous guarded town.
Chandrabhaga could mean three different rivers of today. Chandrabhaga was the old name of today’s River Chenab. The river Bhima in Maharashtra is also called Chandrabhaga. Interestingly, there is a beach called Chandrabhaga in Odisha. The text also mentions Kalinga, so I feel that if we need to do a geographical mapping, then this beach and probably a lost river is what the text could be referring to.
While the name varies, some versions of the Panchatantra have the story of the jackal who died while gnawing a bow string.
The story of the four friends – the crow, mouse, tortoise and deer is very much a part of Panchatantra and appears in book 2 of Panchatantra.
Conclusion
The three friends have become four now, and Chitranga’s presence has caused a disruption. They are planning to leave. But how? What is the story of the merchant and his wife? That story next week.
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