कूपमण्डूकन्यायः
The maxim is supposed to originate thus: One day a sea frog came upon the shore.Proceeding onwards for a time it came at last to a well and accidentally fell into it. There lived a frog in that well, on seeing the stranger it came up and held the following conversation:n The second frog: “Where do you come from?” first:”I came from the sea I live in.” second: “How big is a sea?” first: “Very big.” second: “As big as my thigh.” first: “Bigger than that.” second: “As big as my both the thighs together.” first: “Bigger still. second: “Certainly not bigger than this well?” first: “The sea is, my friend, much bigger than this well. It is a vast expanse of water, and appears to have no limit.” Hearing this the frog in the well laughed at the sea frog, and said that it was a lie. There could not be anything bigger than this well. It is used to denote that a man of limited ideas, having experience only of his own neighbourhood cannot make himself believe that there can be anything better than what he himself knows.
