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108
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[APRIL, 1896.
shall be revered while the good shall be treated like dogs: the wicked shall be elevated and the good laid low. One will not see his own faults, but will point out the faults of others. Happiness is rare amongst re-births, while the miseries are as numerous as the rings in a lake.' Hermit, pray rest content with your lot." And so saying the eagle flow off to the eastern horizon,
Two lha-by-gong-mo birds then appealed without success to the rats to cease their conflict with the hermit, while two other birds called cho-ka said :-"It is better to chant the six syllables - Om mani padme hun,' than to attempt persuading those who won't listen. To endeavour to persuade those who won't listen is like trying to make a knot of a rigid tree, or to hold an angry elephant by its trunk, or to make a stream flow uphill."
The rats now bethonght themselves of taking advice from their friends, The White Small One' and Meditation,' whom they thus addressed, -"O friends, if you help us not when in need you will be worse than dogs; if you allay not our so rrow when we are sad what is the use of your friendsbip? The old hermit has punished us without our having committed any crime and if you do not assist us our reputation is lost. Help ns, friends! help us!” The two friends replied: "You are like the great hawk, while we are like poor fowls ; we had not your friendship before and we do not wish it now. If fowls associate with hawks, the sky will soon be filled with their feathers. So we leave you to your own resources." And after saying this they left them. Then the rats thought that the saying ind eed is true that "People love the rich man's son." Everybody was helping the hermit, while not even a lame fowl would take their part,
Then they went to their uncle Flat top,' and said :-"You alone help us in our distress; we used to be leaders in this country, every one relied on us, but the mad old hermit has degraded us to the lowest position and has most unjustly punished us. Help us to muster an army against him." The old rat replied :-"O nephews, I am hoary wtih age, wrinkled and toothless, and almost blind; my death is drawing near so that I need to chant the Om mami. How can I help you in raising an army? My advice to you is to live in peace with the hermit."
A cow, near by, raised her tail and said :-" rats, you should have remained humble and never have tried to harm the hermit, who is an ornament to the hill-side: besides he is my Lâina-priest." The rats protested that they were forced to quarrel with him, owing to the severe and unjust punishment which he had inflicted on them, and in proof of this they pointed to theis burned and cut features.
Then they decided to go to a rat named the Consuming Haro-lip, '10 who in temper was hotter than fire and fiercer than the river torrent, and who defied the gods and devils, as well as men. They went to him carrying as presents, a spoonful of barley, 1 spoonful of mixed grain, a lump of butter and a piece of silk cloth, and they said to him :-"O king of the rats, you are strong as the mighty king Ge-ser, brave and fierce! If you do not assist us in our conflict with the hermit, all the rats will lose their reputation entirely." The rat-king was furious at the mangled appearance of the rats, and scratching the ground said :- Ha! Ha! I am the powerful protecting father, fierce as an angry lior, my bloodshot eyes and awful mion scatter armed foes by the hundreds, and heroes by the thousands. You did right to come to me, your great father for help. Shew me at once the person who has harmed you."
Then they led him to the hermitage, but on arrival there they saw descending the wall a huge cat named. The Infernal White,'12 with iron teeth and striped like a tiger, who having scratched the ground and shewed his fangs with all his wrinkled fierceness, said :-"O foolish rats, I am the guardian of this hermit, and if you do not instantly obey him, the time for my
Khrs.
Po-t'an. .Ze-mo.
10 Sreg-s'ar. 11 A legendary king of Noribera Asia, probably a corruption of Czar or Cesar 12 'Og.dkar, this roprevents the demoniacal guardian (sruó-mo) of Tibet.
Kaiser.
