Four
friends lived in a city. Three of them were very learned in all sciences but
had no common sense. The fourth boy named Subuddhi was not well-versed in
scriptures or sciences but had a fund of common sense. One day all of them
thought that there was no use of their learning unless it brought them money to
live happily. Therefore, they decided to go out and seek the patronage of
kings. They set out to meet patrons of learning.
On the
way, the eldest of them pointing out to the fourth man told the others,
Friends, this fellow is an unlettered fool. He has common sense and nothing
else. I am not going to share my earnings with this fellow. Let him go home.
The
second man also supported the eldest boys suggestion.
But
the third boy said, Friends, it is not proper to send him back. We played
together and he is one of us. Let us share our gains with him because elders
have said:
He who has a narrow mind
Thinks this is mine, this is his.
To a large-hearted person
The whole world is his family.
In the
end, the other two agreed with the third boys suggestion and let the common sense
man accompany them. As they continued to travel they reached a forest where
they saw a heap of bones. One of them told the rest, Look, here is an
opportunity to test our learning. Some animal is dead. Let us bring it to life
using the knowledge we have acquired.
The
first man said, Okay, I will use my learning to assemble the bones into a
skeleton. With the power of learning he ordered all the bones to come together
and become a skeleton.
When
the skeleton was ready, the second man commanded flesh and blood to fill the
skeleton and skin to cover it.
When
the third man was about to bring life to the body, Subuddhi, who had only
common sense, warned him, Look, this looks like the body of a lion. If it
comes to life, he will kill all of us.
The
man who was to put life into the body of the animal told Subuddhi, You are a
fool. Do you think I will lose this opportunity to test my learning.
Subuddhi
then told him to wait so that he could climb up a tree for safety and went up a
tree. When the first man gave him life, the lion came alive and killed all the
three learned men.
Suvarnabuddhi
continued, Thats why I have always said:
Even if one is very learned
If he is without common sense
Becomes the butt of ridicule
Like the learned in this story.
What
is that story? Please tell me, asked Chakradhara. Suvarnasiddhi began to tell
the story.
There
lived four young Brahmin boys in a city. They were good friends eager to go out
and acquire knowledge. They went to a place called Kanyakubj. They joined a
monastery and began studying sciences and scriptures. After twelve years of
learning they thought it was time to go home and asked their guru for
permission to leave the monastery. After taking his permission, they started
their homeward journey.
After
a few days of travel, they reached a point where the road forked. They were not
sure which road would take them home. Then they saw a funeral procession. One
of the boys opened his book of learning and read out Follow the path taken by
great men.
The
boy told his other friends, Let us join and follow these great men leading the
funeral procession.
They
thus followed the procession to the cremation ground where they met a donkey.
The
second Brahmin boy opened his book of shastras and found this verse in it:
He who comes to your aid
In times of danger, famine,
Cremation and invasion
Is truly a friend in deed.
Then
he told his friends that the donkey was, therefore, their best friend. At once
one of them held on to the neck of the donkey. Another washed his feet. After
this ceremony, they looked around and found a camel. The four of them began
figuring out what the animal is. The third man opened his book of knowledge and
read out, What moves fast is righteousness and decided that the camel must be
the embodiment of righteousness.
The
fourth man referred to his book and found that righteousness and friendship
should always be together. They then tied the donkey and the camel together.
Informed of this, the donkeys owner rushed to beat the four Brahmins. But they
escaped before he came. They continued to travel till they reached a river and
found a big leaf floating over the water.
One of
them saw it and, remembering a line from a verse describing how a leaf helped a
man cross the river, jumped on it and was being carried down by the current. A
second Brahmin saw his friend in distress and remembered a verse:
When total loss stares in the face
A wise man sacrifices half and
Manages with what remains.
So,
with a view to save half of his friend, the second Brahmin cut off the head of
the drowning man.
The
remaining three resumed their travel only to stop when three villagers invited
them for a feast. When the host served a dish resembling noodles to the first
Brahmin, he thought what is long should be discarded and left the place
without food.
The
second man was served pancakes. He thought, What spreads is not good for
health and refused to eat.
Doughnuts
were served to the third Brahmin. He remembered that There is peril where
there is a hole and left. The three Brahmins later went home.
Suvarnasiddhi
ended the story and turned to Chakradhara and told him:
Even if one is very learned
If he is without common sense
Becomes the butt of ridicule
Like the learned in this story.
Chakradhara
protested, That is not true, and quoted this verse:
What God chooses to save
Survives sans human effort and
No human effort can save
What God ordains to perish.
As the
frog said, the one with thousand tricks sat on the head of the fisherman, the
one with hundred tricks is hanging by the fishermans arm and I with only one
trick am happily swimming in the water.
How
is that? asked Suvarnasiddhi. Chakradhara begins
the
story
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