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THE FUNCTION OF TREACHERY
crush somebody, should follow a cautious and delibcrate procedure. When he lists his hand, ready to strike his enemy, he should accost him in a friendly way. (That would be Mr. Nomura, in the conversational prelude to Pearl Harborl] He should address him even more gently while delivering the deadly blow. [That would be Mr. Kurusu!] And when he has cut off his encmy's head, he should pity and bewail him." 17
The documents of Indian history contain many examples of the successful practice of this maxim. There is the account, for instance, of a crown prince who proceeded from the capital in a solemn march with his army to welcome his aged father, who was returning crowned with victory following the defeat of a powerful neighbor whose possessions he had seized. An impromptu town with gorgeous tents was erected out on the plain to comfort the victor after the hardships of his campaign, and an elaborate triumphal edifice was set up, in which he was to celebrate his victory. But while the king was reposing under its massive beams, and while the dutiful son, surrounded by his own strongly armed bodyguard, was parading a large company of war-clephants before him, the stately structure collapsed, and the father, with all his attendants, was buried in the ruin.18
The lulling of an intended victim to sleep is recommended not only for inner policy (at the court of the despot, or in the conclaves of the groups or parties where the members wielding power are purging rivals) but also for foreign affairs (where it is a weapon second to none). It is known as māyā, “the creation of an illusion." We may study it best in the political history of the present day. Nazi policy, for example, in preparation for the overthrow of Poland, first inspired confidence by the non-aggression pact concluded with Marshal Pilsudski in 1933. With that, Poland was taken away from her natural ally, France, and became
17 1b. 12. 140. 54; cf. also 12. 102. 34; 12. 108. 9-19.
18 ibn-Batuta, Voyages, translated into French) by C. Defremery and B. R. Sanguinetti, Paris, 1853, Vol. III, pp. 212-219.
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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 |