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the branch of the tree. The man saw a large boa-snake in the centre, and four ordinary snakes in the four corners, with their mouths opened wide.
On looking upwards, the poor man saw one white and one black rat, biting off the branch of the Banyana Tree to which he had remained harging. On the tree, there was a large hive of bees from which the bees were flying out and stinging him. The elephant came up and began to shake the Banyana Tree. Thus, when the miserable man saw that the elephant was trying to pull down the tree, rats were biting off the branch of the tree to which he was hanging, and that there were large snakes underneath, he was greatly ternfied.
But, eventually, on tasting a drop of honey falling into his mouth, he felt himself happy.
It is said १ विषयगणः कापुरुषं करोति वशवतिनं न सत्पुरुषम् ।
बध्नाति मशकमेव हि लूतातन्तुर्न मातङ्गम् ॥१॥ 1. Vaşayagasah kāpurusham karoti vaśavartinam na satpuruşam; Badhnāti masakaméva hi lūtātantu-r-na mātangam
1. Sensual enjoyinents make a contemptible person submissive, but they do not subclue a wise man. A thread of a spider's web, binds a mosquito only, but not an elephant.
२ ददाति तावदिमे विषयाः सुखं,
स्फुरति यावदियं हृदि मूढता। मनसि तत्चविदां तु विचारके,
क्व विषयाः क्व मुखं का परिग्रहः ॥२॥ 2. Dadāti tāyadımé vişayāh sukham, sphurati yāvadiyam
hridi müdhatā; Manasi tāttvavidām tu vicāraké, Kva visayāh kva sukham, kva parigrahah.
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