affected by his taunts, which refer to Krishna's inventions
and suggestions, but Krishna shows them the booty and says: "But for my
stratagems you would have had none of these fine things. What do you
care that you got them by tricks? Do you not want them?" They applaud
and praise him. Then the surviving Kuruings, weary of virtue and defeat,
surprise and murder the Panduings in the night, an act which was
contrary to the code of honorable war. The antagonism of a virtue
policy and a success policy could not be more strongly presented.[2217]
In the same poem Samarishta says that five lies are allowed when one's
life or property is in danger. The wicked lie is one uttered before
witnesses in reply to a serious question, and the only real lie is one
uttered of set purpose for selfish gain. Yayati, however, says, "I may
not be false, even though I should be in direst peril."[2218] The heroes
fear to falsify, and the Vedas are quoted that a lie is the greatest
sin.[2219] The clever hero has remained the popular hero. At the present
day we are told that Ganesa, or Gana-pati, son of Siva, really
represents "a complex personification of sagacity, shrewdness, patience,
and self-reliance,--of all those qualities, in short, which overcome
hindrances and difficulties, whether in performing religious acts,
writing books, building houses, making journeys, or undertaking
anything. He is before all things the typical embodiment of success in
life, with its usual accompaniments of good living, plenteousness,
prosperity, and peace."[2220] The Persians, from the most ancient times,
have been noted liars. They used truth and falsehood as instruments of
success. The relation of king and subject and of husband and wife
amongst them were false. They were invented and maintained for a
purpose.[2221]

+715. Odysseus.+ The Greeks admired cunning and successful stratagem.
Odysseus was wily. He was a clever hero. His maternal grandfather
Autolykos was, by endowment of Hermes (a god of lying and stealing), a
liar and thief beyond all men.[2222]

+716. Clever hero in German epics.+ In the German poems of the twelfth
century Rother is a king who accomplishes his ends by craft. In the
_Nibelungen_, Hagen is the efficient man, who, in any crisis, knows what
to do and can accomplish it by craft and strength combined. The heroes
are noteworthy for tricks, stratagems, ruses, and perfidy.[2223] In all
the epic poems the princes have by their side mentors