<h2><SPAN name="Harisarman" id="Harisarman"></SPAN>Harisarman</h2>
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<p>here was a certain Brahman in a certain village, named Harisarman. He
was poor and foolish and in evil case for want of employment, and he
had very many children, that he might reap the fruit of his misdeeds
in a former life. He wandered about begging with his family, and at
last he reached a certain city, and entered the service of a rich
householder called Sthuladatta. His sons became keepers of
Sthuladatta's cows and other property, and his wife a servant to him,
and he himself lived near his house, performing the duty of an
attendant. One day there was a feast on account of the marriage of the
daughter of Sthuladatta, largely attended by many friends of the
bridegroom, and merry-makers. Harisarman hoped that he would be able
to fill himself up to the throat with ghee and flesh and other
dainties, and get the same for his family, in the house of his patron.
While he was anxiously expecting to be fed, no one thought of him.</p>
<p>Then he was distressed at getting nothing to eat, and he said to his
wife at night, "It is owing to my poverty and<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_86" id="Page_86">[86]</SPAN></span> stupidity that I am
treated with such disrespect here; so I will pretend by means of an
artifice to possess a knowledge of magic, so that I may become an
object of respect to this Sthuladatta; so, when you get an
opportunity, tell him that I possess magical knowledge." He said this
to her, and after turning the matter over in his mind, while people
were asleep he took away from the house of Sthuladatta a horse on
which his master's son-in-law rode. He placed it in concealment at
some distance, and in the morning the friends of the bridegroom could
not find the horse, though they searched in every direction. Then,
while Sthuladatta was distressed at the evil omen, and searching for
the thieves who had carried off the horse, the wife of Harisarman came
and said to him, "My husband is a wise man, skilled in astrology and
magical sciences; he can get the horse back for you; why do you not
ask him?"<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_87" id="Page_87">[87]</SPAN></span> When Sthuladatta heard that, he called Harisarman, who
said, "Yesterday I was forgotten, but to-day, now the horse is stolen,
I am called to mind," and Sthuladatta then propitiated the Brahman
with these words—"I forgot you, forgive me"—and asked him to tell
him who had taken away their horse. Then Harisarman drew all kinds of
pretended diagrams, and said: "The horse has been placed by thieves on
the boundary line south from this place. It is concealed there, and
before it is carried off to a distance, as it will be at close of day,
go quickly and bring it." When they heard that, many men ran and
brought the horse quickly, praising the discernment of Harisarman.
Then Harisarman was honoured by all men as a sage, and dwelt there in
happiness, honoured by Sthuladatta.</p>
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<p>Now, as days went on, much treasure, both of gold and jewels, had been
stolen by a thief from the palace of the king. As the thief was not
known, the king quickly summoned Harisarman on account of his
reputation for knowledge of magic. And he, when summoned, tried to
gain time, and said, "I will tell you to-morrow," and then he was
placed in a chamber by the king, and carefully guarded. And he was sad
because he had pretended to have knowledge. Now in that palace there
was a maid named Jihva (which means Tongue), who, with the assistance
of her brother, had stolen that treasure from the interior of the
palace. She, being alarmed at Harisarman's knowledge, went at night
and applied her ear to the door of that chamber in order to find out
what he was about. And Harisarman, who was alone inside, was at that
very moment blaming his own tongue, that had made a vain assumption of
knowledge. He said: "O Tongue,<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_88" id="Page_88">[88]</SPAN></span> what is this that you have done
through your greediness? Wicked one, you will soon receive punishment
in full." When Jihva heard this, she thought, in her terror, that she
had been discovered by this wise man, and she managed to get in where
he was, and falling at his feet, she said to the supposed wizard:
"Brahman, here I am, that Jihva whom you have discovered to be the
thief of the treasure, and after I took it I buried it in the earth in
a garden behind the palace, under a pomegranate tree. So spare me, and
receive the small quantity of gold which is in my possession."</p>
<p>When Harisarman heard that, he said to her proudly: "Depart, I know
all this; I know the past, present and future; but I will not denounce
you, being a miserable creature that has implored my protection. But
whatever gold is in your possession you must give back to me." When he
said this to the maid, she consented, and departed quickly. But
Harisarman reflected in his astonishment: "Fate brings about, as if in
sport, things impossible, for when calamity was so near, who would
have thought chance would have brought us success? While I was blaming
my jihva, the thief Jihva suddenly flung herself at my feet. Secret
crimes manifest themselves by means of fear." Thus thinking, he passed
the night happily in the chamber. And in the morning he brought the
king, by some skilful parade of pretended knowledge into the garden,
and led him up to the treasure, which was buried under the pomegranate
tree, and said that the thief had escaped with a part of it. Then the
king was pleased, and gave him the revenue of many villages.</p>
<p>But the minister, named Devajnanin, whispered in the<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_89" id="Page_89">[89]</SPAN></span> king's ear: "How
can a man possess such knowledge unattainable by men, without having
studied the books of magic; you may be certain that this is a specimen
of the way he makes a dishonest livelihood, by having a secret
intelligence with thieves. It will be much better to test him by some
new artifice." Then the king of his own accord brought a covered
pitcher into which he had thrown a frog, and said to Harisarman,
"Brahman, if you can guess what there is in this pitcher, I will do
you great honour to-day." When the Brahman Harisarman heard that, he
thought that his last hour had come, and he called to mind the pet
name of "Froggie" which his father had given him in his childhood in
sport, and, impelled by luck, he called to himself by his pet name,
lamenting his hard fate, and suddenly called out: "This is a fine
pitcher for you, Froggie; it will soon become the swift destroyer of
your helpless self." The people there, when they heard him say that,
raised a shout of applause, because his speech chimed in so well with
the object presented to him, and murmured, "Ah! a great sage, he knows
even about the frog!" Then the king, thinking that this was all due to
knowledge of divination, was highly delighted, and gave Harisarman the
revenue of more villages, with gold, an umbrella, and state carriages
of all kinds. So Harisarman prospered in the world.</p>
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<p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_90" id="Page_90">[90]</SPAN></span></p>
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