{113} Chapter Seven
The Raja said, “I have heard the story of a person without forethought and contemplation who cast himself into a sea of confusion and remorse and fell into a snare of loss and regret. Now tell me a story of someone so beset by enemies left and right and fore and aft that he is on the brink of death and destruction, but then he sees a way out by being benign and kind and by making himself agreeable. He escapes to safety and keeps his word to the enemy. If such a thing is not possible how can peace be achieved?”
The Brahman said, “Usually friendship and enmity are not permanent and are caused by some turn of fate. They are like springtime clouds: sometimes they rain and sometimes the sun shines through them, and they have no great permanence. Women’s agreeability, a ruler’s intimacy, a madman’s kindness, and an adolescent’s beauty all have the same quality and should not be counted on for permanence. Many is the friendship that has flourished in all kindness and unity and lasted for a long time when suddenly the evil eye strikes and it is changed to enmity and grievance, and many an ancient enmity and hereditary hatred have disappeared with one kind act and turned into firm friendship and affection. An enlightened person of intelligence will put the Prophet’s words into practice in both cases: ‘Love your friend gently, for one day he may be your enemy. Hate your enemy gently, for one day he may be your friend.’ Do not neglect to accommodate your enemy and do not give up hope of friendship with him; do not rely totally on every friend or have confidence in his fidelity, and do not ever think you are safe from the machinations of fate. A foresighted person will consider an enemy’s request for a truce to be a golden opportunity since it may ward off harm and have benefits for all the reasons stated. Anyone who keeps all these things in mind and watches out for his own best interests will sooner gain his objective and have good fortune and felicity. A good example is the story of the cat and the mouse.”
“How was that?” asked the Raja.
{114} The Cat and the Mouse
It has been related that in a certain city there was a tree, and beneath the tree was a mouse’s hole. Nearby was a cat’s home. Hunters often frequented the area, and one day a hunter laid a trap and the cat got caught. The mouse came out of his hole in search of a morsel and looked around cautiously before proceeding. Suddenly his gaze fell upon the cat. Since the cat was caught he rejoiced, but just then he looked back and saw a weasel lying in ambush for him. Then he looked up at the tree and saw an owl ready to pounce on him. Frightened, he said to himself, “If I go back the weasel will jump on me. If I stay where I am the owl will swoop down. I can’t go forward because the cat is in the way.” Then he thought to himself, “With all these looming disasters I shouldn’t lose heart. I have no refuge better than intelligence, and nothing will help me more than wisdom. He who is strong of mind does not allow himself to be alarmed in any situation or let fear and confusion into his mind, for tribulations suffered by the perspicacious do not rise to the level of clouding the intellect, and comfort is never so firmly established in their minds that they are overwhelmed by arrogance and neglect cunning. Inside they are like a sea the bottom of which cannot be reached and the depth of which cannot be known: anything thrown into it sinks and disappears without a trace. No plan would be more convenient for me than to make peace with the cat, for he is trapped in adversity and will not be able to get out without my help. He may listen to my words wisely, apply the discernment of the astute, realize that I am trustworthy, and know that he is not being deceived with trickery and guile and accept a truce with me in hopes of gaining my assistance. With honesty and cooperation we may both be saved.”
Therefore he went to the cat and asked how he was.
“Trapped in misery and affliction,” he said.
“ ‘Had I not abandoned lying because it is a sin I would have abandoned it because it is a matter of honor.’ Have you ever heard anything other than the truth from me? I have always rejoiced over your consternation and considered your failure to be tantamount to my own success. I have focused all my attention on anything that causes detriment to you, but today I am your partner in affliction and see that my own salvation depends on yours. For that reason {115} I am being kind. You will recognize that I am telling the truth and am contemplating no treachery. You can see the weasel stalking me and the owl up in the tree. Both are going to attack me, and they are both enemies of yours. If I get close to you they will turn their gazes from me. Now, if you assure me of my safety and swear to it, I will come to you. I will get what I want, and when I gnaw your bonds you will be free. Remember this and be assured of my conduct, for no one is more deprived of attaining happiness than two persons: the first is he who does not trust anyone or have confidence in the sayings of the wise, and the second is he whose word others refuse to believe and the wise do not trust. I will keep my word. Accept my offer of kindness and do not delay, for the intelligent do not recommend delay in action. Be glad that I am alive, for I am happy that you are since the salvation of each of us depends upon the life of the other, like a ship that reaches the shore through the efforts of its captain, and the captain is saved by means of the ship. My truthfulness will be proven by putting it to the test, and it is more obvious than the sun in the sky that if my promise falls short of action my deed will be preferable to my word.”
When the cat heard the mouse’s words and saw that they contained truth he was glad and said, “Your words seem true. I accept this truce according to the command of the Creator: ‘If they incline unto peace, do thou also incline thereto’ [Kor. 8:61]. I hope that we may both be saved thereby, and I promise to repay my debt and be grateful for the rest of my life.”
“When I come to you you must welcome me warmly,” said the mouse, “so that my attackers will see it and be aware of our friendship and give up. I will then break your bonds at leisure.”
“I will do it,” said the cat.
The mouse approached, and the cat greeted him warmly. The weasel and the owl gave up hope and left, and the mouse set about gnawing the bonds at his leisure.
The cat found him too slow and said, “You have tired quickly. I had greater expectations of your compliance. Having gotten what you wanted, have you changed your mind? Are you thinking of breaking your word? Know that a person’s resolve and firmness are tested in affliction, for vicissitudes are the crucible of fidelity and the touchstone of men. This stalling does not conform to a noble {116} character. You received the benefits of my friendship straightaway when the designs of your enemies were foiled. Now it would be more chivalrous to repay me and quickly break my bonds and free me from my fear, for this newly founded accord between us has ended our past contention. The benefits of fidelity and gratitude are known to you. The brand of treachery and deceit is a hateful mark, and a noble person will not sully his good reputation with such. If you want to play a crooked game, know that it will be known to all. Where nobility and gallantry are, nature abhors neglect of obligation. A good and gallant man steps into the field of sincerity on one show of affection, and if he sees in his mind any past fear or discord he quickly rids himself of it and considers it a good trade, especially when there has been a pledge affirmed by solemn oaths. It should be known that traitors are soon punished, and a false oath soon undermines the foundation of life, as the Prophet said, ‘A false oath leaves homes empty.’ Anyone who cannot be persuaded by humility and pleading to cease harm and does not engage in pardon and forgiveness is stripped of his good name and hangs his head before people.”
“May anyone who breaks his oath of fidelity to you have his heart and back broken by the vicissitudes of fate,” said the mouse. “Know that friends are of two sorts: the first is one who enters into friendship willingly and heartily, and the second is one who forms an association out of necessity. In neither of the two cases can one be unaware of the quest for benefits and the probability of detriment, but the one who enters a friendship with pure intention free of fear can be relied upon in all situations and one can live in safety from him at all times, while in the case of the one who takes shelter in an association out of necessity there are differing relations: sometimes the associates mingle happily and sometimes they avoid each other. A clever person should always be leery of some of the requests of such a person and grant them only gradually, and while doing so he should guard himself, for self-preservation is necessary in all cases to be known for virtue and good sense.
“All associations in the world are for immediate gain. I am doing what I said I would do while taking the utmost precaution for self-preservation, for my fear of you is even greater than my fear of those from whom I was saved by you, and the acceptance of a truce {117} with you was to ward off their attacks. The favor you did me was for an exigent need and avoidance of imminent harm. How can one who neglects foresight be said to have a view toward consequences? I will break all your bonds, but I am watching for the right time. I will keep one bond as a guarantee of my life and will sever it when you have something more urgent to do than to attack me.”
The mouse cut all the bonds but left one strong one. Thus they spent the night. The next morning, when the phoenix of dawn flew from the east and spread its bright wing over the earth, the hunter appeared from afar.
“Now it is time for me to discharge the remainder of my obligation,” said the mouse. So saying, he gnawed away the last bond, and the cat was so in fear of his own death that he forgot about the mouse and bounded up a tree. The mouse scurried into his hole. The hunter, finding his trap cut, left in despair.
The next day the mouse came out of his hole and saw the cat from afar, but he did not want to get near him. The cat called out and said, “Why are you avoiding me? You have gained something precious and earned friendship for your offspring and descendants. Come closer and enjoy the reward for your compassion and manliness.”
The mouse shrank back, but the cat said, “Do not deprive me of the sight of you, for anyone who rejects a hard-won friendship will be deprived of the fruits of amity and other friends will despair of him. I owe you my life, and you did what no one else could have done. I will never forget my obligation to you so long as I live, and I will not neglect to repay and reward you.”
Of course it was to no avail. The mouse replied, “When a situation looks threatening, if based on past experience one can expect amity, if one is of good cheer and mingles no fault can be found, but when there is inner suspicion, even though the outward aspect is free of signs of vengeance, one should not neglect self-preservation, for the detriment can be great and the outcome disastrous. It is like sitting on an elephant’s tusk and going to sleep: of course one will wind up under the elephant’s feet and be destroyed with the least movement.
“People are inclined to friends for benefits, and they avoid enemies because of potential harm. If a wise person is in trouble and {118} can only be saved by the efforts of an enemy, he will seem friendly and amicable, and if he sees opposition from a friend he will avoid him and exhibit enmity. The offspring of beasts run after their mothers for milk, and when they no longer need them they leave them without any past experiences of fear or doubt. No reasonable person would attribute that to enmity, but when the benefit ceases it is wiser to cease the association. So too does a wise man do things according to the season and put on a raincoat when it rains. He comes up with a plan for every situation according to the time and lives with his enemies and friends in dread or relaxation, anger or good humor, forwardness or deference as befits his interests, and in all cases he should be calm and even-tempered.
“At the base of our nature is enmity. It has grown over time and become entrenched in our beings. A friendship formed on the basis of need cannot be relied upon, for when the cause is removed each will revert to type, like water, which is warm as long as you keep fire under it. When you remove the fire the water reverts to its original cold state. There is no enemy more harmful to a mouse than a cat. Only exigent circumstances and need forced us into a truce. Now that the cause no longer exists the enmity will doubtlessly be renewed.
“There is no benefit for a weak rival in association with a strong one or for a weaker opponent to be near a stronger one. You have no yearning greater than to make a meal of me, but in no way am I going to be deceived by you. How could a mouse ever trust the friendship of a cat? It is much safer for the weak to avoid associating with the powerful, for otherwise something will happen and the weaker will be taken unawares and dealt grievous harm. Only rarely does one who is taken in and is negligent rise again.
“When a wise person takes matters into his own hands and there is no longer any exigence he should not delay in separating himself from an enemy. No matter how steadfast and dependable he may see himself, he should not imagine the enemy to be the same and ought to seek distance from him. Nothing is more appropriate to foresight and safety than that you should avoid the hunter and I should beware of you. When there is no longer kindness or understanding between friends can they still be loyal and have mutual understanding? It is impossible for us to meet, and it would be far from wise to do so.”
{119} The cat, upset and distressed, said, “My heart has often told me that one day you would be separated from me. I had suspected it would be so, but not that you would lay aside our friendship.”
With these words they bade each other farewell and parted.
This has been the story of an enlightened wise person who did not pass up an opportunity to befriend an enemy in time of need, and after attaining his goal he did not fail in foresight and precaution. A weak little mouse, when surrounded by calamities and overwhelmed by enemies, did not lose heart and succeeded in snaring one of them with guile, by means of which the threat was done away with. He kept his promise to the enemy, and after achieving his end he was vigilant in self-preservation. If the wise, the perspicacious, and the clever take these experiences as models they too will enjoy success and attain happiness in this world and the next.