Chapter 33a - The Jackal as calumniators (version A)

[Source: Kah-gyur, vi. ff. 239-243. Benfey has called attention, in his Introduction to the Pancatantra, to the story in the Siddhi-Kur of the fox which sets the lion and the bull at variance, and brings about the destruction of both. The story occurs as the twentieth tale in B Jülg’s “Mongolischer Märchen-Sammlung,” Innsbruck, 1868, pp. 171-176. (“Mongolische Märchen,” pp. 35-40.)—S.]

In long-past times there lived in a certain forest a pregnant lioness. Now it is the custom of lionesses to lay up stores of flesh for the time when they shall bring forth their young. The lioness, having followed after a herd of cattle, struck down a cow which had calved, and which, while taking care of her calf, lagged behind the rest of the herd. The lioness killed the cow, and dragged it off to her lair; the caff, which wanted to suck her mother’s teats, following after her. The lioness was at first inclined to kill the caff too, but reflected that it would serve as a playfellow for her cub so soon as she brought it into the world. She gave birth to a male cub, which she suckled along with the caff.

After they had both grown up, the lioness fell ill, and before her death spoke thus, “O children, as ye have both sucked the same dugs, behave as brothers. The world is full of evil calumniators. Take heed, when I am dead, that ye do not listen to such persons.”

The lion, which ate the good flesh of the gazelles he killed, and drank his fill of their blood, grew big; and so did the buff, which fed on the good grass guarded by the lion, and enjoyed clear water. The lion, as the king of Leasts, was followed about by an old, very greedy, remainder-devouring jackal. When the lion had killed gazelles, and having devoured their good flesh and drunk their good blood, tranquilly rested, none of the rest of the smaller beasts dared to draw nigh. Only the old jackal used to approach, in order to enjoy what remained over of the good flesh and blood, thanks to which his hide, his flesh, and his blood all thrived.

One day, when the lion had eaten the good flesh of gazelles and drunk their good blood, he hastened to his lair, where he played with the bull. In the meantime the smaller beasts devoured the remains. The jackal thought, “First, I will go to see whither the lion has gone.” Having followed after the lion, the jackal saw him playing together with the bull, and came to the conclusion that the bull was the adversary of his maw, and that therefore he must set those two comrades at variance. So with drooping ears he appeared before the bull. The bull said, “O uncle, has any hot wind arisen?”

The jackal replied, “O nephew, a very glowing wind has arisen.”

“What is it then that has happened?”

“The lion has asked, ‘Whither has gone the bull which belongs to my stores of flesh? If I find no other flesh, I shall devour that bull.’”

The bull replied, “O uncle, our dying mother said to us twain, ‘0 children, as ye have both sucked the same dugs, be brothers. The world is full of evil calumniators. Take heed that ye listen to none of them after my death.’ As she has left behind her such a legacy as this, do not talk in that way.”

The jackal said, “O nephew, as you will not listen to my well-meant words, you will go to perdition.”

The bull asked, “O uncle, what then will be the course of events?”

The jackal replied, “O nephew, the lion will come forth from his lair, and will stretch himself, and after he has stretched himself he will yawn, and after he has yawned he will look round on all four sides, and after he has looked round on all four sides, he will roar three times, and when he has come to where you are, he will think, ‘This creature will kill me;’ be sure of that.”

Afterwards the jackal betook himself with drooping ears to the lion. The lion asked, “Uncle, has a hot wind arisen?”

The jackal replied, “O nephew, a very glowing wind has arisen.”

“What has happened then?”

“The bull has said, ‘Whither has my lion-grass gone? As his mother killed my mother, I will slit up his belly.’”

The lion said, “O uncle, our mother, before she died, thus spoke to us twain, ‘As ye two have sucked the same dugs, be brothers. The world is full of evil calumniators. Take heed that ye do not listen to any of them.’ As she has left such a legacy behind, do not speak in such a manner.”

The jackal replied, “O nephew, if you do not now listen to my well-meant words, you will go to perdition.”

The lion said, “O uncle, what will take place?”

The jackal replied, “O nephew, the bull will come forth from the meadow, and will stretch himself, and when he has stretched himself he will bellow, and when he has bellowed he will tear up the ground, and when he has torn up the ground he will come snorting into your presence and will think, ‘This one will kill meknow all this.”

Although those two animals were constantly in the habit of acting in this way according to their natures, they had never taken any notice of the fact. So when one day after this the lion, the king of beasts, came forth from his lair, after stretching and yawning and looking around on all four sides, and roaring three times, he appeared in presence of the bull. Likewise the bull had come out from the pen, and had stretched himself, and bellowed, and torn up the ground and snorted, and then it appeared in presence of the lion. Although they had both been accustomed to act in this way according to their natures, they had never taken any notice of the fact. But they noticed it now that the seed of discord was sown. The bull thought, “He will kill me,” and the lion thought just the same. The lion seized the bull’s breast with his claws, the bull slit up the lion’s belly with his horns. And so they both perished.

A deity uttered the following verse: “Men who pay regard to what is good, ought not to hold converse with bad men. See how the jackal set at variance the lion and the bull who had been friends.”