Chapter 36 - The blue Jackals

[Source: Kah-gyur, iv. f. 255. Cf. Pancatantra, i. 10, and Benfey’s remarks thereon, pp. 224-5 5 Hitopadeśa, iii. 7; A. Weber, Indische Studien, iii., 349, 366.—S.]

In times long past there was a very greedy jackal, which used to roam in the forest, and even in places uninhabited by men. At length he made his way into the house of a dyer, and fell into an indigo vat. After he had escaped he lay down to sleep on a neighbouring dunghill. Having tossed about thereon, so that his body became ever so unshapely, he jumped into the water. When he had come out, and had been exposed to the rays of the sun, he acquired the colour of cyanite.

When the other jackals saw him, they dispersed and stood afar off, and asked, “Who are you? where do you come from?”

He replied, “My name is Śataga, and I have been appointed king of the fourfooted beasts by Śakra, the king of the gods.”

The jackals considered that, as his body was of a colour never before seen, this must be true, and they made all the fourfooted beasts acquainted with the fact. The lions thought, “If some one is exalted above us and made the king of the beasts, we must go and carry this news to the chief of our band.” So they told the news to the maned chief of their band, who dwelt in a certain hill district. He ordered the other beasts to go forth and find out whether any animal had seen this chieftain of the fourfooted. So they betook, themselves to where the jackal was, and made inquiries. And they perceived the jackal, like unto nothing ever seen before, surrounded by all the fourfooted creatures except the lions. Then they returned to their chief and told him what they had seen. And he, when he had listened to them, betook himself, surrounded by the band of lions, to where the jackal was. The jackal, surrounded by many quadrupeds, rode along on an elephant, with the lions around him, and then the tigers and other quadrupeds. The jackals formed a circle round him at a greater distance.

Now the jackal’s mother dwelt in a certain mountain ravine. Her son sent a jackal to her, and invited her to come, now that he had obtained the sovereign power. She asked what was the nature of his surroundings.

The messenger replied, “The inner circle is formed of lions, tigers, and elephants, but the outer of jackals.”

She said, “So much for things not following their proper order.” She also said in verse:—

“I live here comfortably in the mountain ravine, and amid cool waters enjoy my good fortune; so long as he utters no jackal’s cry, the elephant will let him retain his prosperity.”

The messenger jackal said to the jackals, “This king of the fourfooted is only another jackal. I have seen his mother who dwells in such and such a mountain ravine.”

They replied, “In that case we will test him and see whether he is a jackal or not.”

Now it is according to the nature of things that jackals, if they hear a jackal howl without howling themselves, lose their hair.

So the jackal, when he heard the other jackals lift up their voices, said to himself, “If I utter no cry, my hair will certainly fall off. But if I get off the elephant and then begin to howl, he will kill me. So I will lift up my voice where I am.”

So soon as, sitting on the elephant, he began to lift up his voice, the elephant perceived that it was a jackal that was riding on his back, so he flung him off and trampled him under foot. A deity uttered this verse:—

“He who keeps at a distance those who should be near, and brings near those who should be at a distance, will be cast down, as the jackal was by the elephant.”