The Cat and the Rat – Enemies or friends? –  from the Mahabharata

This is another story told by Bhishma Pitamaha to Yudhishtira in the Shanti Parva of the Mahabharata. If you are not aware of the context please read the first three paragraphs of earlier story by clicking here.

Yudhishtira, addressing Bhishma Pitamaha said , “O Pitamaha! What stand should a king take when he is surrounded by enemies all around, and when he confronts a disaster in their midst? Amongst the enemies, many may be waiting for a chance to take revenge, based on their earlier sufferings. How should one act then? With whom should the king fight and with whom should there be a pact? Kindly enlighten me on this!”

Bhishma Pitamaha smiled at Yudhishtira . “O Yudhishtira!” he said, “ I will tell you how a king should manage the situation as envisioned by you. Time and objective are the factors that determine who is an enemy and who is a friend. Protecting one’s life should always be one’s objective and for that, it is perfectly right to have an alliance with an enemy. In this regard, I will tell you a story.”

Bhishma began –

‘In a dense forest there was a giant banyan tree with  innumerable branches. Numerous creeper plants were growing on the tree making it very dense that many small animals and birds made the tree their residence. In a hole at the root of the tree lived  a wise rat named Palita.  On the same tree on one of the branches there lived a cat named Lomasha. Lomasha made the lives of many birds and Palita miserable as he was always on the prowl.

Every night a hunter would come there and spread a net made of sinews on the branches. Then, placing a piece of meat in between the branches he would go home. Invariably every morning some small animals / birds would get trapped in the net, which he would then kill and take home.

One night, it so happened that Lomasha got trapped in this net. Palita coming out from his hole, noticed this. He laughed in his mind at this stroke of luck.  Being hungry he eyed the piece of meat left by the hunter. With none to fear about, he confidently  went and started nibbling the meat when he instinctively felt someone staring at him. Indeed, down on the ground, stood Harika, the red-eyed mongoose  expectantly licking his lips looking at Palita. Just then there was a sound Whoosh! When Palita looked above, he saw Chandraka, the owl settling on a branch above eyeing him.  Now Palita was caught between three enemies, the owl, the cat and the mongoose.

Trembling with fear Palita thought “Death is facing me from all directions and my chance of remaining alive is remote. However, the wise do not lose heart in such a situation. And it is very important not to get confused now”.

Palita then noticed that Lomasha was very worried on freeing himself from the net. “Of these three enemies, Lomasha is the one facing hardship. I will need to work out a strategy accordingly” he thought to himself.

Addressing Lomasha he said, “O Lomasha , I am pained to see you trapped. I will save you from this predicament as I have an idea to save both of ourselves.  Chandraka from the top and Harika from  the ground are both eyeing me and wicked as they are, I am prone to be attacked. But be aware that I am the only one capable of severing your noose and releasing you from this net. So let there be a friendship agreement between us . After all, we have been living in the same place for many years now and are certainly friends.  If we act together, both of us will be benefited”.

Lomasha replied “I am so thankful for your gesture Palita. True, both of us are staring at disasters, but your situation is more dire at present. But as you said, if we have an alliance, it will be a win-win situation and I will be ever grateful to you.”

Relieved, Palita said, “I swear that I will help you to get released, Lomasha.  But right now I am exposed and I may be killed before I free you. May I therefore request you to please let me crouch under your body? Please do not kill me. I swear once again that I will cut off the sinews by which you are trapped”.

Lomasha thought that Palita’s request was reasonable and welcomed Palita to crouch under his belly. Palita snuggled close to Lomasha as a baby would cuddle up to its parent. Chandraka and Harika were watching and after a while, knowing they could not get the rat which was under the cat’s belly went away.

Now that the enemies were gone, Lomasha requested Palita to quickly gnaw and sever the net. Palita started gnawing, but very slowly. “Faster, faster! Do it fast” hurried Lomasha. “The hunter will come anytime”

Palita replied, “ Lomasha! No need to hurry up. A task should not be started or completed at the wrong time. If you are released  at the wrong time, you may kill and eat me. Once I see the hunter coming, I will quickly cut off the last strand of the net. At that time, both of  our objectives would be only to save ourselves and while you run up the branches, I will run down to my hole”.

Lomasha knew how to speak sweetly. He said, “This is not the way  righteous and caring people behave with their friends. When you requested me to save you from Chandraka and Harika did I not act immediately? Are you thinking about the earlier days when I have tortured you a lot? Well, that was out of my foolishness and look, I am already suffering for what I did to you. Please forgive me for all that I have done earlier and please release me now so that we both will be safe.”

Palita replied very wisely, “Lomasha, please remember that while helping you I should also protect my life. When a friendship is forged due to fear, it needs to be handled with great care. It is like placing one’s hand near a snake’s mouth. It is more dangerous if that friendship is with a stronger person. The weaker person should protect himself else he will be destroyed. This friendship is bound only by the interests of both of us. Once the interests are over, no one will bother to see who did what. So I prefer to keep this task unfinished till the hunter arrives so that when I finish the task, you will be only focused on running away. But believe me, I will keep up my word”.

As daybreak was approaching Lomasha’s heart was throbbing with fear. Soon, the hunter appeared with a weapon in hand. With  a shaven head, pointed ears, large mouth and broad hips, his very appearance was dreadful. He had some dogs accompanying him and they were barking ferociously.

Lomasha panicked. “Palita! Palita! Please release me” he said. Palita, quickly snapped the remaining sinew of the net and Lomasha ran up the tree on to the higher branches while Palita ran down and into his hole. The hunter looked at the empty snare. Disappointed, he let out a disgruntled groan, removed the net and went away.

After some time, Lomasha called out to Palita. “ Palita! You just ran away even without speaking a word to me! Do not fear me. You are my saviour and I am ever grateful to you. Be assured that my family and friends also will cause you no harm. Please come out and let us enjoy our friendship”.

Palita, from within the safe space near his hole replied, “You may be grateful but your family and friends have no reason not to kill me. For that matter, you may also attack me in a fit of anger. Friendships which happen between the strong and the weak due to mutually threatening situations do not remain the same after the situation is over. Once the situation is over trust cannot exist between the two partners.  Alliances can never exist between the strong and the weak. Compared to me you are way more powerful. Also you were caught in the trap when you went searching for food and now knowing that you are free and hungry, how will I believe that you, my natural enemy will not harm me?  Friendship and enmity are not permanent for anyone”

Palita continued. “Also our elders have said that one should never trust anyone completely, even if the other person is fully trustworthy. Never place your trust in others but behave in a manner that others will trust you. And most importantly, one’s endeavour should always be to protect one’s life, especially from stronger enemies, because only when life exists, hope for the future will exist”.

So saying he ran away into his hole much to the chagrin of the disappointed Lomasha’.

“So”, said Bhishma Pitamaha, “O Pandava! Though both the cat and rat  were enemies they pretended to be affectionate to each other. But even though Palita was weak he kept his enemy under control with his intelligence. When there is a common objective an intelligent king should have alliance with a capable enemy but after achieving the objective, one should not trust the enemy. Intelligence alone helps in deciding when to fight , whom to fight with, when to have an alliance and when to remain at a distance”.

This is the story of the cat and the rat.

Note: Reference for this story is from Mahabharata- Volume 8 by Shri Bibek Debroy.