Welcome to Litsy!

This is a book of contraries and complimentary opposites. Divided into four sections (2x2): Gaining Friends-Splitting Partners; War-Peace. It is a story told by the wise to the foolish, it's most often form being a dialogue in which friends or adversaries debate a moral point using verse aphorisms and fables, the point being often conceded, but rarely won, and frequently contradicted in another part of the book. 👇🏻👇🏻

"This is mine, and this is not" -
Thus do the small-minded see.
The large-hearted have always thought
The world itself a family.

It's pleasant to come unexpectedly upon old friends: The Hitopadeśa tale of the "The Hasty Priest and the Loyal Mongoose" is identical with the Welsh legend of "Llewelyn and the Dog Gelert". In both, the loyal pet guards its owner's baby while he goes out. Upon return, the pet is found, its mouth dripping with blood and is killed in a rage, too late to discover the baby well and a dead snake (Hitopadeśa) or wolf (Welsh) by the overturned cradle.

Man is not of man a slave -
He's money's slave.

The fool may even look distinguished
If dressed well, in Council Hall;
And this impression's not extinguished
As long as he does not speak at all.

I do like nested stories, and the Hitopadeśa is a cool example of one. I'm five levels in at this point: i) the unidentified general narrator tells of, ii) Viśņu Śarma and the Princes, which is the frame story for, iii) The Crow and the Pigeon, which tells of, iv) The Deer, the Crow and the Jackal, which tells of, v) The Cat and the Vulture. There was also a short digression into the story of The Traveller and the Tiger. I'm only on page 36!

“As your life to you is dear,
So is his to every creature.
The good have compassion for all,
By comparison and analogy with their own nature.”

- Hitopadeśa
#veggie #vegetarian #vegan #davinci

Two quotes for the price of one ☺

There lived an extremely wealthy merchant... He was in the evening of his life, but lust filled his thoughts and, with the arrogance of riches, he married a merchant's daughter called Līlāvati. She was in the flush of youth, a veritable victory banner of the God of Love. The old husband gave her no satisfaction. For,

As sun and moon give no respite
To those troubled by heat and cold
So women's hearts do not delight
In husbands decrepit and old.

Of what use are words of wisdom to the man who is unwise?
Of what use is a lamp to a man who is blind?
Hear the essence of thousands of sacred books: to help others is virtue:to hurt others is sin
A man rises or goes down by his own actions like the builder of a wall or the digger of a well
The narrow-minded man thinks and says:This man is one of us; this one is not, he is a stranger. To the man of noble soul the whole of mankind is but one family

As your life to you is dear,
So is his to every creature.
The good have compassion for all,
By comparison and analogy with their own nature.

I felt something of a thrill about ordering an edition of this book from India, which was rather dampened by its not arriving. I've got a refund, so I guess that's ok, but the prospect of buying a boring copy from the UK is... well, boring! Reminding myself that the content is the important thing 😑