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THE FUNCTION OF TREACHERY A certain miserable tomcat, expelled by the villagers and roaming the fields on the brink of starvation, gaunt and helpless, was encountered and rescued from its predicament by a lion; the kingly beast invited the wretched one to share his cave and feed on the leavings of his majestic meals. But this was not an invitation inspired by altruism or any sense of racial loyalty, it was simply that the lion was being annoyed in his cave by a mouse that lived in a hole somewhere; when he took his naps, the mouse would come out and nibble at his mane. Mighty lions are unable to catch mice; nimble cats however can; here therefore was the basis for a sound and possibly agreeable friendship.
The more presence of the cat in the cave sufficed to keep the mouse at bay, and so the lion took his naps in peace. Not even the squeaks of the little nuisance were heard, for the cat was continually on the alert. The lion rewarded him with lavish courses, and the efficient minister grew sat. But then one day the mouse made a sound, and the cal committed the elementary crror of catching and eating it. The mouse vanished; the favor of the lion vanished too. Already tired of the tomcat's company, the king of beasts ungratefully turned his competent officer back into the fields and the jungle, where he had to face again the peril of starvation.
The lesson is sunimarized in the concluding maxim: “Do your job, but always let something remain to be done. Through this remainder you will remain indispensable."
Here is one of the many secrets of the secret police of every land-one of those witty “secrets that cannot be told.” This ironic tale, addressed to the astute ministers and other loyal servants of the fickle Indian despots, reveals the circumstance of the dictator in the clutches of his own Gestapo. Though terribly efficient at tracking down the lurking enemies, the officers manage nevertheless to keep a goodly number always in reserve, and thus ensure both the security of their dictator and the continued importance of themselves. This is a perfectly natural thing for them to do,
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| SR No. | 007309 |
| Book Title | Philosophies of India |
| Original Sutra Author | N/A |
| Author | Heinrich Zimmer, Joseph Campbell |
| Publisher | Routledge and Kegan Paul Ltd |
| Publication Year | 1953 |
| Total Pages | 709 |
| Language | English |
| Classification | Book_English |
| File Size | 34 MB |