Skip to main content

Featured

Panchatantra Book 1 - 014 - How the Bedbug Caused the Louse’s Death

Table of Contents

Recap

Bhasuraka, a fierce lion, agreed to stop indiscriminate hunting when the forest animals offered him one animal each day as his meal. When a clever hare’s turn came, he used the lion’s pride and anger against him, tricking him into attacking his own reflection in a well and thereby saving the animals. Damanaka then used this story to convince Karataka that intelligence can overcome physical strength, before turning his attention to Pingalaka. He falsely warned the lion that Sanjeevaka, his trusted bull friend, was plotting to seize the throne. Although Pingalaka initially defended Sanjeevaka out of loyalty and remembered his promise of protection, Damanaka continued to sow suspicion, warning him about excessive trust, the misuse of power and the dangers of bad company. To strengthen his argument, Damanaka began the story of Manda-visarpini.

The Patient Louse and the Impatient Bedbug

There was once a king. I do not know if he was a great king or not, so I will not go there. Like all kings, he lived in a palace with many rooms. Amongst the many rooms there was the king’s bedroom. Huge with a large bed. On that large bed were many mattresses. Laid on top of the mattresses were many layers of clean white bedsheets. Every day an attendant would come, superficially dust the sheets, stretch them and leave. If the attendant had been careful about his work, he would have noticed one thing – among the many sheets lived Manda-visarpini. She was a louse who had made her home there. She had small fangs and she bit the king when he was deep asleep, so the king never bothered to check and see why some days, his body would be very itchy.

An Uninvited Guest

One day someone came to meet the louse. This was Agnimukha, a bedbug. The louse was not happy. She was not expecting any guests and she definitely did not want the bedbug there. So as soon as she saw the bedbug, she said, ‘Why have you come here? Please leave now.’

Agnimukha was offended. He said, ‘Lady this is not the way to treat your guests, even if they are unwelcome. Most people have respect for guests and they are welcomed and offered food. I have come to you because you live in the royal bedroom and drink royal blood. I have tasted all kinds of blood and it is usually bitter or pungent. I have been told that the royal blood is something sweet. So, I want to taste that. As you would be aware, food is the main reason for the existence of all. The craving is the same; whether one is a beggar or a king. I am starving and it is unfair of you to keep the king’s blood for yourself and not share that with anyone.’

The louse said, ‘Well, I have tasted the king’s blood and that too when he is fast asleep and snoring. If you want to drink the king’s blood, then you need to be patient. You need to wait till the king is in deep sleep.’

The bedbug said, ‘My lady, I promise by taking the names of all the gods and rishis that I will not drink the king’s blood before you.’

Act of Impatience

That night they waited for the king to come. The king came and sat on the bed. Being impatient, the bedbug could not control himself and he went and bit the king. That was the nature of Agnimukha. The king was wide awake. He began shouting. The servants came running and the king said, ‘I have been bitten. I am sure there is some insect lurking in my bed. Look for it and get rid of it.’ The king moved away and the servants began looking under each sheet and mattress. Seeing this, the bedbug went and hid behind the frame of the cot. The louse was slow and she was spotted. Thinking she had bitten the king, poor Manda-visarpini was killed.

Warning Against Blind Trust

Ending his story, Damanaka said to Pingalaka, ‘Sir, this is why I am saying one should not encourage someone whose nature is unknown. Destroy the bull before he destroys you. A person should not abandon faithful friends merely because someone new appears powerful or useful. Trusting outsiders while neglecting those who have stood by you can lead to your downfall. That is what happened to Kakuddruma, the jackal who became a king.’

Pingalaka wanted to know about this and Damanaka began telling the story.

That is the story for the next Panchatantra post. For now, let us walk through this post.

Decoding Strategy and Nitishastra

This tale, like other tales in Panchatantra, is about statecraft, Nitishastra.

Underlying Nitishastra Principle

The tale shares a Niti principle: An outsider who violates an established, agreed-upon boundary destroys the insider who was there first. By sharing the story of the louse, Damanaka is saying - Do not encourage or associate with someone whose true nature is unknown. Proximity to the king is a privilege. For wanting that, some rules need to be followed. The fact that Manda-Visarpini agrees to host the bedbug is what kills her. As per Damanaka, Pingalaka is the louse and Sanjeevaka is the bedbug.

Character Comparison

Traits Manda-Visarpini (the louse) Agnimukha (the bedbug)
Their view She gives value to patience and controlled behaviour. She knows she can disturb the king without any harm. He is impatient.
Outcome She is not killed because of her bite. She is discovered during the search for the creature that disturbed the king and is killed because she happens to be nearby. His impatience triggers the search. He escapes by hiding, while Manda-Visarpini is caught and killed.
Who are they An old employee, aide or retainer who knows how to work within established limits and avoid trouble. The impulsive outsider who talks his way in and then betrays the agreement that gave him access.
Meaning of the name Manda means slow, gentle or mild; Visarpini is one who creeps or crawls. Literally, "One who creeps slowly." The name shows the louse's slow, stealthy movement and cautious temperament. Agni = fire; Mukha = face or mouth. Literally, "fire-faced" or "fire-mouthed." The name comes from the sharp, burning quality associated with a bedbug's bite, which is more noticeable than a louse's bite.
Lesson Even a cautious person can suffer because of whom they allow into their circle. Gaining access through words means little if one cannot control one's impulses or honour the conditions.

Parallel in the Hitopadesha

This story of the two insects is not a part of the Hitopadesha. Hitopadesha does have a story about a cat and a vulture, where it has a similar lesson and an outcome. A blind vulture welcomes a smooth-talking cat, who eventually is responsible for the vulture’s death.

Sanskrit Terminology for the Insects in This Tale

Here is some background on the insect species mentioned.

Let me share two shlokas here - तत्र श्वेततर-पट-युगल-मध्य-संस्थिता मंद-विसर्पिणी यूका प्रतिवसति स्म। and अन्ये-द्युश् च तत्र शयने क्वचिद् भ्राम्यन्न् अग्निमुखो नाम मत्कुणः समायातः। There are two terms here that I want to point out – यूका from the first shloka and मत्कुणः from the second. I had seen some translations of the Panchatantra in English and there the story spoke about a flea and a bedbug. While a bedbug is called मत्कुणः, Sanskrit for a flea would be प्रुष / प्लुप. यूका is what we call a louse. Interestingly, it seems the word यूका went through a transformation where a ya became a ja and yuka became juka. Then that got shortened and today a louse is commonly called ju (जूँ) in Hindi.

Questions to Think About

How often do you permit unverified influences into your space out of politeness or guilt, and what boundaries can you set to protect your long-term stability? Have you seen a situation where a disciplined person had to take the fall for someone else’s mistakes? What can you do to prevent that in your life?

This is all I have to share for this tale. In this series, the next story will be the story that many may know as the story of the blue jackal.

Comments

Post a Comment