Chanakya Learns A Lesson

The name of Chanakya, the wise prime minister of Chandragupta Maurya, is only too familiar to students of history. There is an interesting story about how he learned one of the most important lessons in war strategy from an uneducated village woman. Going back to the beginnings, Chanakya was born in a very poor family. His father, Chani, was a wise and learned man although he had no wealth. It is said that baby Chanakya had pearly white teeth. Astrologers told Chani that the boy was fated to be a king. He expected Chani to be delighted to hear this. But Chani was disturbed by the prediction and remarked that the life of a king is by no means a happy one. Most kings crave for more money and more power, and this inevitably led them to fight and often do things that are neither fair nor moral. Chani did not wish such a life for his son. So he broke the teeth of his infant son. But the astrologers merely laughed and said his action was not likely to change his son's destiny. But it would thwart it to some extent. He might not be a king himself but would certainly be a ruler's right hand man and virtually rule the kingdom. Chanakya imbibed all the scholarship of his father. He had a razor sharp intellect and a fantastic memory. But despite all his wisdom, Chanakya remained as poor as his father and had a tough time trying to make both ends meet. Once, when his wife went to her father's home to attend a family wedding, her sisters made fun of her because she was wearing a dress made of coarse cloth and no jewellery at all. They teased her about her rough, work-worn hands and the absense of oil in her hair. In fact, they treated her like a maid and refused to sit near her. Chanakya's wife returned home crying. Though she did not complain or criticize her own people, Chanakya found out what had gone wrong and decided to do something about it. He had heard that King Nanda, the ruler of Pataliputra, honoured wise men and often gave them a place in his kingdom. Chanakya decided to land up there. On reaching the palace, Chanakya asked the doorman if he could meet the king. He was shown in and asked to sit and wait for the king. Chankya saw that the empty throne was the best seat in the court. He was proud of his birth and wisdom and so went and sat in the king's seat! Nanda arrived and was very angry to find a man in tattered clothes sitting on his throne. He asked one of his attendants to find another seat for Chanakya. The attendant spoke politely at first but when he realized that the strange man had no intention of getting up, he simply pushed Chanakya out of the seat! Chankya was very angry at this insult and swore that he would oust Nanda from his kingdom some day. Chanakya remembered what the astrologer had predicted and decided to find the right man who would be a king and yet be guided by him in all matters. He wandered all over the kingdom and finally reached a place in the foothills of the Himalayas where a tribe called 'Mauryas' lived. As hanakya rested under a tree, he saw a group of young boys playing. One of them pretended to be a king while the rest played at being the king’s soldiers. The boy who was posing as king looked very sharp and intelligent. Chanakya went up to him and said, "I'm a poor Brahmin, your majesty. Please let me have a gift." The young boy, whose name was Chandragupta, looked at him and said, "I give you all these cows that are grazing in this field." "But they don't belong to you and so they are not yours to be made a gift of," said Chanakya smiling. “What shall I do if the actual owners come and bash me up?" "You can't own things if you are afraid of protecting them," said young handragupta at once, "one has to fight for one's rights in this world." Chanakya was so impressed by Chandragupta's words that he asked him, "Do you really want to become a king?" "Of course, I do". "Then come with me," said Chanakya, "and I shall help you become one." Chandragupta left his home to accompany Chanakya. He used his brains to collect enough money to raise an army for Chandragupta. He taught them all that he knew about fighting battles and Chandragupta about the rights and duties of a king. Chanakya, who remembered how he had been insulted by King Nanda, decided to attack him. But Chandragupta's army was small and inexperienced, compared to Nanda'' and could not stand up to them. Badly defeated, Chandragupta had to flee along with Chanakya. One day as Chanakya entered a little village in quest of food, he passed by a poor man's hut. He heard the excited voice of children. Their mother was serving them hot rice porridge. Suddenly a young boy started crying that his fingers had been burnt. Well, what do you expect?" he heard the woman say. “Naturally they will get burnt if you are as foolish as Chanakya." Intrigued and curious, Chanakya barged into the room. "Who are you?" asked the mother of the children.“What do you want?" "I just came in to find out the meaning of your words," said Chanakya. The woman was surprised. "I was merely telling the children to eat properly," she said, "I had served them hot rice porridge. They should have realized that it was hottest at the centre and started eating from the outer fringe which cools first." "Yes, but what has Chanakya’s foolishness got to do with it?" asked Chanakya. "Everything," said the woman smiling, "Chanakya is so foolish, he went and attacked Nanda's kingdom at the outset instead of conquering the small kingdoms all around before going to the centre. Just like this foolish child trying to eat the hot porridge from the middle! That's why Chanakya lost and had to flee." "Thank you so much, mother," said Chanakya to the woman "You've taught me a wonderful lesson in war strategy. I shall not make the same mistake a second time." Chandragupta and Chanakya reorganized their army and set about conquering the smaller kingdoms first and getting them under them. Eventually, they succeeded in ousting Nanda from Pataliputra. But Nanda’s daughter and young Chandragupta fell in love and she stayed back as the queen in her father’s kingdom.