Another (!) Subhashita search (the trouble with ali)

[N. Ganesan]

<<
Cf. SomadevaŽs Kathaasaritsaagara, Lambaka 10, Tara"nga 5,
stanza 118 (ed. Durgaaprasaad/Parab, 4th ed., Bombay 1930, p.
318):
         av.rttika.m prabhu.m bh.rtyaa apu.spa.m bhramaraas tarum |
         ajala.m ca saro ha.msaa mu~ncanty api ciro.sitaa.h | |
         ``Servants [leave] a master who has no means of livelihood,
bees [leave] a flowerless tree, and geese leave a lake without
water even after a long habitation."
>>

There is a famous poem by AuvaiyAr (mediaeval, not from sangam era)
that has: "aRRa kuLattil aRu nIrp paRavai pOla". Here, geese leaving
a lake without water even after a long habitation are compared to
opportunistic friends' nature; This is contrasted in that poem
with the lotus stalks which flourish or wither away depending on the
lake's fortunes.

Regards,
N. Ganesan

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