Jain Spirit 1999 10 No 02

Author(s): Jain Spirit UK
Publisher: UK Young Jains

Page 38

The parrot's training
The nephews said in answer, "Sire, let the testimony of the goldsmiths and the pundits, the scribes and the supervisors, be taken, if the truth is to be known. Food is scarce with the fault-finders, and that is why their tongues have gained in sharpness."
The explanation was so luminously satisfactory that the Raja decorated each one of the cousins with his own rare jewels.
At length the Raja, being desirous of seeing with his own eyes how his Education Department was busying itself with the bird, made his appearance at the Great Hall of Learning.
From the gate arose the sound of conch-shells and gongs, horns, bugles and trumpets, cymbals, drums and kettle-drums, tomtoms, tambourines, flutes, fifes, barrel-organs and bagpipes. The pundits began chanting mantras at the top of their voices, while the goldsmiths, scribes, supervisors and all their numberless cousins of differing degrees of distance, loudly raised a round of cheers.
The nephews smiled and said, "Sire. what do you think of it all?"
The Raja said, "Tremendous, terrific!"
"Sire, education that is based on a sound principle is also most enriching."
Mightily pleased, the Raja was about to remount his elephant, when a fault-finder, from behind some bush, cried out, "Maharaja, have you seen the bird?"
Should Parrots be schooled?
Photo: Chandu Shah
"Indeed, I have not!" exclaimed the Raja. "I completely forgot about the bird."
was so stupendous that the bird looked absurdly unimportant in comparison. The Raja was satisfied that there was no flaw in the arrangements. As for any complaint from the bird itself, that was certainly not to be expected. For its throat was so choked with the leaves of books that it could neither whistle nor whisper. The entire learning process sent a thrill through anyone who saw it.
This time, while remounting his elephant, the Raja ordered the state ear-puller to give both ears of the fault-finder a thoroughly good pull.
Turning back, he questioned the pundits about the method they followed in instructing the bird. It was demonstrated. The Raja was immensely impressed. The method
Thus the bird tottered on, duly and appropriately, to the very verge of inanity. In fact, its progress was deemed extremely satisfactory. Notwithstanding, nature
October - December 1999 • Jain Spirit 37
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