The Super-smart Jackal which ate Elephant
There lived a Jackal by name MahaaChathuraka in a
part of a forest. One day MahaaChathuraka gained an elephant which was
naturally dead. He was unable tear the hard skin of that dead elephant and
highly frustrated to eat and protect it safe. At this juncture a lion
which was roaming here and there came there. On watching the lion,
MahaaChathuraka saluted by stretching and joining his fore-legs in front of it
and told politely thus: Oh! Sir! This your prey. I am protecting
the flesh of this dead elephant. So please have it. On watching the
saluting MahaaChathuraka, the lion told thus: Hey! I never get the prey which
was already killed and brought by others. So I won’t accept and I bless you
to have this. After having heard the words
of the lion, MahaaChathuraka acted to accept.
After some time when the lion departed, the tiger arrived there. On seeing the tiger, MahaaChathuraka thought
thus: Somehow I have tackled the evil-minded lion. How can I drive away this dangerous one now? Indeed he is powerful. Without some pretext I can’t succeed him. After having thought for a while, facing
towards that tiger, MahaaChathuraka started to speak thus: Oh! Uncle! How did
you fall in the trap of death? This elephant was killed by the lion and he
ordered me to protect the same.
Moreover, he cautioned me that whenever a tiger comes here warn him thus: Once a certain tiger took the elephant which
was already by the lion. He wishes to
set this forest tiger-free. From that
moment, the lion enraged with the tigers.
On hearing the words of MahaaChathuraka, the tiger told: Oh! My dear niece! Please protect me. Don’t tell him anything about
my arrival. Then the tiger ran
away.
Then the hyena came there. On seeing this, MahaaChathuraka wanted the
help of the hyena to peel the hard skin of the dead elephant. Then MahaaChathuraka started to speak aloud
thus: Oh! My dear niece! How are you? After a long time I see you. I think that you are hungry. This is the dead
elephant which was killed by a lion. The
lion appointed me to protect this.
Please have this as your food before the arrival of the lion. Then the
hyena believed the words of MahaaChathuraka started to eat that prey by peeling
the hard skin with its sharp teeth. When
the flesh portion was got opened, immediately MahaaChathuraka cautioned the
hyena that the lion is arriving. Being
afraid of the lion, the hyena too ran away.
Then another jackal came there. For protecting its
prey, MahaaChathuraka fought with another jackal and drew away. Then MahaaChathuraka ate that prey by keeping
for long time and enjoyed life happily.
Moral of the story:
A wise man who wishes to win, should conquer the powerful by obeying, the chivalrous by some under pretext, inferior by giving away and the equal one by his own power.
(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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