Hitopadesha 2.30

2.30

avyāpareṣu vyāpāraṃ yo naraḥ kartum icchati |
sa eva nidhanaṃ yāti kīlotpaṭīva vānaraḥ //

A man who wishes to meddle in matters not his own / goes to destruction, just like the monkey that pulled out the wedge.'

2.30.p1

damanakaḥ pṛcchati--katham etat ?

Damanaka asks: 'How is that?'

'No!' said Damanaka. 'How was it?' 'In this way,' answered Karataka:—

2.30.p2

karakaṭaḥ kathayati-

Karaṭaka relates:

2.30.p3

kathā 1

Story 1

2.30.p4

asti magadha-deśe dharmāraṇya-saṃnihita-vasudhāyāṃ śubhadatta-nāmnā kāyasthena vihāraḥ kartum ārabdhaḥ | tatra karapatradārya-māṇaika-stambhasya kiyad dūrasphāṭitasya kāṣṭha-khaṇḍa-dvaya-madhye kīlakaḥ sūtra-dhāreṇa nihitaḥ | tatra balavān vānara-yūthaḥ krīḍann āgataḥ | eko vānaraḥ kāla-prerita iva taṃ kīlakaṃ hastābhyāṃ dhṛtvopaviṣṭam | anantaraṃ sa ca sahaja-capalatayā mahatā prayatnena taṃ kīlakam ākṛṣṭavān | ākṛṣṭe ca kīlake cūrṇitāṇḍa-dvayaḥ pañcatvaṃ gataḥ | ato 'haṃ bravīmi-avyāpareṣu vyāpāram ity ādi |

In the country of Magadha, on land near the Dharmāraṇya forest, a monastery was begun by a scribe named Śubhadatta. There, into a pillar being split with a saw, partly split open, a wedge was driven by the carpenter between the two pieces of wood. A strong troop of monkeys arrived there playing. One monkey, as if driven by death, sat down holding that wedge with both hands. Thereupon, out of natural restlessness, he pulled that wedge out with great effort. And when the wedge was pulled out, with both testicles crushed, he died. Therefore I say: "A man who wishes to meddle in matters not his own..." and so forth.'

"In South Behar, close by the retreat of Dhurmma,[1] there was an open plot of ground, upon which a temple was in course of erection, under the management of a man of the Káyeth caste,[2] named Subhadatta. A carpenter upon the works had partly sawed through a long beam of wood, and wedged it open, and was gone away, leaving the wedge fixed. Shortly afterwards a large herd of monkeys came frolicking that way, and one of their number, directed doubtless by the Angel of death, got astride the beam, and grasped the wedge, with his tail and lower parts dangling down between the pieces of the wood. Not content with this, in the mischief natural to monkeys, he began to tug at the wedge; till at last it yielded to a great effort and came out; when the wood closed upon him, and jammed him all fast. So perished the monkey, miserably crushed; and I say again—

'Let meddlers mark it, and be edified.'

2.30.p5

damanako brūte-tathāpi svāmi-ceṣṭā-nirūpaṇaṃ sevakenāvaśyaṃ karaṇīyam |

Damanaka says: 'Even so, investigation into the master's conduct must necessarily be carried out by a servant.'

'But surely,' argued Damanaka, 'servants are bound to watch the movements of their masters!'