50. नीतितत्त्वसुबोधकः Nīti-tattva-subodhakaḥ

One who was an effective teacher of the essence of ethics

of dharma and the law is brought out in nāmas 45 and 74. That He was also a su-bodhaka, effective teacher, of the tattva, essence, of such nīti, ethics, is a su-bodhaka, effective teacher, of the tattva, essence, of such nīti, ethics, is It is noteworthy that His Holiness often drove home aspects of dharma,

morals and ethics by narrating parables, an effective way of reaching out to both children and adults. He would narrate stories from sources such as the Itihāsas and Purāṇas, apart from texts like Nīti-cintāmaṇi. Besides this, He Itihāsas and Purāṇas, apart from texts like Nīti-cintāmaṇi. Besides this, He narrated with gripping detail and great lucidity.

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As a child in Bengaluru, Sri Srinivasa Sastry and His friends used to assemble after play and relate morally relevant stories. He proficiently narrated stories from the Purāṇas, Mahābhārata and the Nīti-cintāmaṇi. narrated stories from the Purāṇas, Mahābhārata and the Nīti-cintāmaṇi. veracity and the advantages of being truthful. The dire consequences of attachment described in the story of Jaḍabharata and the soul-stirring devotion of Prahlāda were driven home by Him in some of His presentations.

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[The following is a parable narrated by His Holiness.] A group of boys wanted to write a story for a competition. After much

discussion, they completed it and one of them narrated it in its final form to the others. As he was doing so, three people who were passing that way paused to hear that story. They did not mistake it to be a factual account but liked what they heard. As they moved on, they discussed the story among themselves. A teenager happened to overhear them when they talked about a pot of gold hidden under a banyan tree in a forest situated about 500 kilometres away. The lad immediately developed a strong desire to somehow possess that

gold. Without telling anybody, he proceeded to the forest concerned. There, he saw a man place a fruit in a small-mouthed vessel and then tie the vessel to a tree by means of a long rope. Moved by curiosity, he initiated a conversation with that man. Teenager: What are you doing?

Man: I am setting a trap for a monkey. I intend to train a simian to perform

tricks.

T: How will your contraption serve your purpose?

M: This place is infested with monkeys. One of them will certainly notice this vessel and the fruit in it. So, it will put its hand into the vessel and grab the fruit. The vessel’s mouth is too small for the monkey to take out its hand while gripping the fruit. The vessel has been tied to the tree and so the monkey cannot carry it away. The animal will thus be forced to remain here and I shall catch it.

T: Are you joking? The monkey will release the fruit, extricate its hand and escape.

M: No, it will not. It will simply refuse to discard the fruit.

T: I cannot imagine a simian behaving so foolishly because of its desire for fruit.

M: Remain by my side and watch.

Both hid themselves a short distance away. Soon, a monkey came and behaved exactly the way the man had predicted. The lad said, “How stupid and crazy this monkey is!” and went his way.

After some time, he beheld a frog shooting out its tongue and catching a fly with it. Amused, he turned his attention to another frog that was nearby. As it was about to trap a fly, a snake stealthily came up to it and swiftly caught it in its mouth. The frog’s tongue shot out and the fly stuck to it. Meanwhile, the snake proceeded to swallow the frog. The lad thought to himself, “What a strange sight! Even at its moment of death, this silly frog was busy catching a fly!”

He walked on and encountered a forester. The latter said, “Do not go much further in this direction. There is a wild tusker there and it may attack you.” However, so intense was the lad’s desire for the gold he hoped to find that he disregarded the advice. In about half an hour, he was deep within the forest. He was looking around for the banyan tree that he had heard was located somewhere there, when he heard the trumpeting of an elephant.

In a few moments, he saw a rutting tusker charging at him. He immediately took to his heels, with the elephant in hot pursuit. Though he ran as fast as he could, the pachyderm steadily gained on him. To his chagrin, he slipped and began to fall into a pit that he had not noticed. Flailing his arms, he providentially managed to catch a creeper and arrest his fall. The elephant reached the top of the pit and gazed at him.

The lad looked down and saw that the pit was deep. Further, he espied a cobra with upraised hood at the bottom. He realized that he was in very deep trouble, without the option of climbing up or down the creeper. As if his

140 51. Pārāvārāti-gambhīraḥ problems were not adequate, the creeper began to give way; some insects were busy at work on it.

Unexpectedly, a drop of honey from a beehive on the tree overhead, fell on his nose and began to slowly flow down towards his lips. The boy stretched out his tongue and licked it. The honey seemed like ambrosia to him. He then heard the roar of a distant lion. The tusker felt terrified and swiftly left the place. The boy began to climb up the creeper. As he neared the top of the pit, the creeper gave way. But, somehow, he managed to hold on to the pit’s edge.

In moments, he felt his hands slipping. However, to his surprise, he found himself being lifted up by the woodman who had advised him not to venture into this region. “When I heard the trumpeting of the elephant, I knew that you were likely to be in danger. I am far more familiar with this forest than people like you are. So, I rushed in the direction you had proceeded, to help you. I see that I have arrived just in time.” The lad thanked him profusely. Still possessed by the longing for gold, he explained the reason for his coming there and sought the forester’s help to locate the banyan tree in that region. His saviour told him that he was not going to find any gold and tried to persuade him to return before the tusker chose to come back. However, finding the boy adamant, he led him to the banyan tree. They searched there for the gold but did not find any.

Finally, the boy returned to his native place. He described his misadventure in detail to an elder. The elder laughed and informed him that what he had overheard was only a portion of the tale authored by a group of boys for a competition. He then proceeded to tell the lad, “You felt that the monkey and the frog had behaved thoroughly foolishly because of their longing. Your behaviour was far worse. The poor monkey refused to let go of the fruit that was in its hand. You, on the other hand, were led on by intense longing for gold that was actually non-existent. The frog stretched out its tongue at the moment of its death but possibly did so purely by instinct. You, on the other hand, are a human being endowed with discrimination. Yet, when you were about to perish, you savoured the drop of honey that fell on your nose. See the power of longing.” The boy realized the devastating force of longing and hung his head in shame.

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