685. Kathirvelan's Questions

"Are not emissaries expected to go alone, when they are on a mission?" asked Kathirvelan.

"Yes, in general. But, why do you ask this question?" asked Kumaravyasan.

"You are the emissary. Why did they ask me to accompany you?"

"They might have sent you along with me, thinking that you would be of some help to me!"

"But I didn't render any help to you. There was neither a need nor an opportunity for me to render any help to you!"

"In that case, you will have to think and find an answer to the question why they sent you with me."

"The minister has not left even that task to me. While briefing me about this mission, the minister told me that he was sending me as your assistant, with a view to give me an opportunity to learn things from you. He exhorted me to keep my mouth shut, quietly accompany you and just observe the things you say and do."

"Why did you ask me the question, then?"

"I asked you with a fond hope that you might give me a different answer! By the way, may I know what the minister told you about me?"

"Of course. He told me, 'Someday, this boy would become an excellent emissary. I am not sure whether you will be alive at that time. So, learn things from him now itself!'"

"Please don't ridicule me. I have a keen desire to learn a lot from you. Can I ask you some questions?"

"You can. But just now, you told me that the Minister had asked you to keep your mouth shut?"

"Again, you are pulling my leg! I am asking you for this favour, only out of my strong desire to learn things from you."

"Okay. Shoot your questions."

"First of all, I would like to convey my astonishment at the way you communicate. You collected your thoughts in an organized way and conveyed the message given by our king in a concise and coherent way, yet ensuring that the communication was comprehensive and clear. I noticed that the king of this country was impressed by the way you delivered the message to him." 

"Communicating the message in a concise and coherent way, ensuring that no point is missed, is the foremost skill to be mastered by a person wishing to serve as an emissary. If you want to become an emissary, you should acquire this skill first."

"I understand, sir. I have another question. When the king asked you how the crop yield in our country was, you told him that since a part of the crops had been damaged by heavy rains, the harvest was lower than normal this year. But, we had a bountiful harvest this year!"

"While travelling in this country, I noticed that there was famine in some parts of this country. If I had said that we had a bountiful harvest in our country, the king would have felt bitter about the famine in his country. A person, however good he is, will be inclined to compare his status with that of another. Such a comparison will invariably create a feeling of bitterness towards the other. This has nothing to do with a person being good or bad. This is human nature. When I told the king that our crop yield was lower this year, that information would have given some consolation to the king. That is why I gave a slightly gloomy picture about the crop yield in our country. This does not amount to telling a lie."

"I understand. But, you also lied about one thing!"

"What was that?"

"You told the king that people of this country were very hospitable and that they offered food and shelter to us, during our travel within the country. But this was not true. No one offered food to us. We had to starve during the major part of our journey, since there were not many places that offered food for money, either."

"If we speak to a king highly about his people, will he not feel proud and elated? When he is in a happy state of mind, he will be more inclined to listen to us. The chances of his giving us a favourable response will also be good, won't they be?'

"In fact, that is what has happened! By accompanying you, I have learnt how an emissary should conduct himself to make his mission successful and secure benefits to his country through his mission" said Kathirvelan, with a feeling of happiness and satisfaction.

Thirukkural
Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 69
The Ambassadorial Mission

Verse 685 (in Tamil):
thogach chollith thUvAdha nIkki nagach cholli
nanRi payappadhAm thUthu.

Meaning:

Being coherent in speech, avoiding harsh words, and speaking in a pleasing manner are the ways an envoy should adopt, to get an outcome favourable to his country.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'kadhir vEndhanin kELvigaL' by the same author.) 

Verse 686 (Soon)
Verse 684