‘Yes... Indeed... That is why animals are so fast... Unencumbered by language... they are not weighed down by words... The monkey, as it darts from tree to tree, choosing branches like lightning, thinks much faster than language. But you are right, of course, we also do this. Shakuni — perhaps you know him — when he is playing a game of dice at speed, he leaves language far behind. Similarly, the ratha must move and think faster than words. What is it Charvaka says?’
‘Many think only to speak. Few think.’
‘Ah, yes... Yes... And, indeed, does not an infant already need to think to learn to speak? Of course, we only watch ourselves think when we have the luxury of time... when, since we have the time, we think slowly enough to dress our thoughts in language, fitting them for others, making
