Karataka told Damanaka

 

Four traders were selling goods in a certain town. A Brahmin thief observed them. He thought to himself, “These traders are doing well in their business. They are making a lot of money. I will befriend them. And steal their wealth when they are not looking.” The thief befriended the traders with his sweet words. He offered to be their servant. He travelled everywhere with them. He waited for an opportune moment to steal their wealth.

 

After a few days, the traders had sold all their goods. They bought some precious stones with the money they had earned. The traders wanted to protect their hard-earned wealth from thieves. So, they cut open their thighs and hid the jewels inside and sewed them back. Once done, they got ready to leave town.

 

The thief was disappointed that the traders didn’t share even a small portion of their earnings with him. He was frustrated that his days of efforts went in vain. He thought to himself, “I will accompany them. At the opportune moment, I will poison and kill them. And then steal their wealth.”

 

The thief spoke to them emotionally, “We have been together for so many days. I find it hard to part with you. Please! Take me with you.” The traders were moved by the Brahmana’s loyalty. They agreed to let him accompany them, not knowing that he was in fact a thief.

 

As they travelled, they came across a village inhabited by some bandits. Suddenly a group of crows shouted loudly, “O Bandits! These traders are rich. Kill them and take their wealth.”

 

The bandits attacked the traders. They searched their bags. But they found nothing of value. The bandits were surprised. The words of the crows had never been false before. The crows shouted again, “Search properly. They have wealth.”

 

The bandits angrily addressed the traders, “The crows are never wrong. Hand over your wealth or we will cut you into pieces to find where you have hidden it.”

 

The traders were petrified. They knew that the bandits would find the wealth hidden inside their body. The Brahmin thief thought to himself, “These bandits won’t stop until they cut open the bodies of traders. They will find the wealth. They will think I have hidden wealth as well and cut me up too. I have no escape. It is best that I sacrifice myself and save these traders. Death will come to everyone. Let my death be useful at least.”

 

The Brahmana thief addressed the bandits, “Cut me open first. And check if you find any wealth.”

 

The bandits agreed. They killed the Brahmana thief and cut him open. But they could not find anything hidden in his body. They assumed that the crows were mistaken. If one of them did not have anything hidden, the others are unlikely to have anything as well. They let the traders go. The traders were happy that they were saved by the clever presence of mind of their Brahmana friend.

 

Karataka finished the story and said, “Avoid evil ways. Even if you are in the wrong path, realize your mistake and try to do what is right. Follow the path of Dharma even if it does not seem to benefit you in the near term. If you do that, the Dharma you do will serve you eventually.” Saying this Karataka left Damanaka.

 

Meanwhile, Pingalaka and Sanjivaka engaged in a vicious battle.  The bull was no match for the lion. Pingalaka’s sharp claws and teeth tore open the bull’s hide. Sanjivaka fell dead. As soon as the fight was over, Pingalaka’s wrath subsided. He saw the dead body of his former friend. Immediately, he was overtaken by sorrow. Pingalaka lamented, “Oh no! What have I done! I have killed my friend. What greater sin can there be than killing someone who trusted in me! I will certainly go to hell.  A king can bounce back even if he loses his entire kingdom. But the loss of a faithful servant can never be regained. How will I explain his death to the others?”

 

By this time, Damanaka had arrived at the scene. Seeing the king in distress, Damanaka addressed him, “O King! You should not grieve for Sanjivaka. He was your enemy. You are a king. He was a grass eater. You are a lion. Killing him was the right thing to do. Grieving does not befit you. It is not a sin for a king to kill a disloyal person, even if that person is a father, a son, brother, wife, or a friend. Also, you are a wise king. A wise person never mourns for the dead or the past.”

 

Damanaka’s words calmed the mind of Pingalaka. He was pleased with the jackal’s advice. He appointed Damanaka as his minister again. Pingalaka resumed ruling the forest.

 

Vishnu Sharma finished the story, “And thus, the friendship between the lion and the bull was undone by the clever and scheming jackal.”

 

This marks the end of the first Tantra – Mitra Bheda.

 

We will start with the second of the five Tantra’s of the Panchatantra called Mitra Samprapti, in the next chapter.