Namaste, Welcome to SAM-VAD (Together In Conversation), today I will share yet another tale from this monumental book The Panćatantra, tradition ascribes this fabulous work to Vişņu Śarma (“Preserver of Bliss”), faced with the challenge of educating three unlettered princes, to awaken their intelligence, Vişņu Śarma (“Preserver of Bliss”) evolved a unique pedagogy – for his aim was to teach the princes how to think, not what to think.
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Before we embark on this wonder filled, journey I want to draw your attention to these wise words of a Storyteller which I have extracted from yet another monumental work which has been inspired from “The Panćatantra”:
My stories require, at this stage, no extra commentary, imaginings, or guesswork by you, me, or anyone else. The very worst would be that of moralizing. To explain away is to forget. Thus, let the stories which you can remember do their own work by their very diversity. Familiarize yourself with them.
Excerpt from Doctor’s orders:
Kalila Wa Dimna; Vol.1 – Ramsay Wood
The tale of ‘The Golden Geese of Lotus Lake’
In a certain kingdom lived a king by the name of Bright Chariot who possessed a lake named Lotus Lake which his warriors guarded with greatest care, for it abounded with golden, wild geese that paid the king the tribute of one tail-feather apiece, every six months.
Now, it happened that a great bird, all golden, flew into that lake one day. At once the wild geese spoke sharply to it saying,’ look here, you have no right to come here and live in our midst, because we live in this lake by right of giving the king a gift of one golden tail-feather apiece once in six months.’ To make it brief, soon, a raging dispute rose between the two parties.
The great bird now sought the king’s presence to plead for his intercession. ‘Lord,’ it began, ‘this is what the birds in your lake say: “Go, we shall not give you an inch of space here to stay. What can the king do to us?” Then I answered them, lord, and said this, “It is not right that you speak so discourteously. I shall go and complain to the king.” Now it is for His Majesty to make the decision.’
The king summoned his attendants and commanded them as follows: ‘Fellows! Go; kill all those birds in the lake and bring them to me without delay.’
Receiving the royal command, the attendants left at once and set out for the lake. Seeing the king’s men come marching, cudgel in hand, one ancient wild goose spoke as follows. ‘Well, my dear kinsfolk; this is not at all pleasant prospect. So, let us all be of one mind and fly away together.’ The wild geese did precisely that.
The Panćatantra (Of Crows and Owls) – The Golden Geese of Lotus Lake – Vişņu Śarma
Translated from the Sanskrit by Chandra Rajan
Let us remember:
Our life experience would ultimately amount to whatever we had paid attention to. Attention: is important and most of the times we are so indifferent to it. It is as fundamental as food; and we go blundering about, seeking ways to assuage the craving, instead of learning how to provide ourselves with what we need, sensibly and calmly. We feed the hunger blindly. Once the mechanism is brought to our attention and we begin to study it, it is as if a veil has been stripped off ordinary life, and we become freer in our action and choices.
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