Monday 14 February 2022

28 MORAL FABLES FROM SANSKRIT LITERATURE-TALE 14

 


The Story of Disguised Donkey

In a certain part of a country lived a launderer called SuddhaPata.  He owned a donkey.  For lack of fodder the donkey grew very feeble.  As the washer man once roamed in the forest, he found the skin of a tiger.  He reflected - Oh! What a good luck.  By wrapping this skin around the donkey, I shall let the donkey, I shall let the donkey loose in the barely fields at night.  By mistaking him as a tiger, the nearby dwellers will not drive him off the field.  Carrying out the plan, the donkey grazed in the field and ate barely to his heart’s content.  Early in the morning, the washer man led the donkey back home.  And as time passed by, the donkey grew plump in size.  It was difficult (for the master) to tie him also.

 

Another day, it heard the sound of a she-donkey and he too started braying loudly (in response).  Then the farmers realizing that it was donkey in the disguise of a tiger, killed him by throwing stones and shooting arrows.

 

Moral of the story:

Suguptham rakshyamano(a)pi dharsayan dharunam vapuh l

  Vyaaghra-charma-prathicchanno vakkruthe raasabho hathah ll

 

If any person hides his secrecy with a terrible form to frighten others, he will be perished by his own identity, like a donkey which disguised itself with the tiger skin, got killed by revealing its cry. 


(This story is taken from the titled LabdhaPranaasam - the 4th volume of the book PanchaThanthram which has five volumes viz., MitraBedhah, MitraLaabhah, Kaakolookeeyam, Labdhapranaasam and AparikshitaKaarakam written by Vishnu Sarma was an Indian scholar.  The exact period of the composition of the Panchatantra is uncertain, and estimates vary from 1200 BCE to 300 CE.

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