In a certain part of the jungle, there lived a lion king, by the name of Madotkata. His retinue was comprised of a jackal, a crow and other animals. One day as they were wandering through the jungle, they saw a camel which had been separated from its caravan.
“This seems to be an extraordinary animal,” said the lion, “go and ask him where he comes from.”
The crow spoke up and said, “Master, this animal is a camel and lives in a village. He is good to eat, so kill him.”
“I won’t kill a guest,” replied the lion. “Assure him that his life will be spared and bring him to me. Then I can ask him why he is here.”
They all went to the camel and won his confidence, after assuring him that his life would be safe and brought him to Madotkata.
The camel bowed and stood before the lion. Madotkata asked him for his story and he told the lion how he had come to be separated from his caravan. When he had finished, the lion said, “Krathanaka! Don’t return to the village to be a beast of burden. Stay with me. You can live in this jungle without any anxiety and feast on the emerald-colored grass.” The camel agreed and began to live happily amongst them.
One day, Madotkata had a fight with a mad elephant and he was wounded by the elephant’s sharp tusks, but despite his injuries, he did not die. However, his body became so weak, that he could not take so much as a few steps, and as a result, the crow and all the other animals, dependent on him for food, began to starve.
Then the lion said, “Go and find some animal that I can kill even in this condition, so that I can provide food for you.”
All the animals wandered around everywhere, but could not find such an animal. Then the crow and the jackal put their heads together.
“Crow!” said the jackal. “What’s the point of wandering about when this camel could easily be killed to provide us with food?”
“You’re right,” replied the crow, “but the master has assured him that his life will be spared, so perhaps he won’t agree to kill him.”
Said the jackal, “I’ll influence the master in such a way, that he will agree to kill the camel. Now it’s better if you wait here until I come back!”
With this, the jackal went to the lion and said, “Master, we have wandered all over the jungle, but have been unable to find any animal at all. What are we to do? We’re so starved that we can’t even walk properly. But if you were to kill this camel here, his flesh would satisfy all our hunger.”
When the lion heard his wicked words, he cried out furiously, “Shame on you, you rascal! Say that again and I will kill you on the spot! How can I kill him, when I’ve assured him that his life will be safe!”
“Master!” said the jackal. “It is certainly a sin to kill him after giving him this guarantee, but if he offers himself to you, of his own free will, then it is no sin to kill him. Otherwise, kill one of us, for you are desperately in need of food to stay alive. What is the good of our lives, if we cannot use them in our master’s service. As they say: “The head of the family Must be protected in every way possible, For if he dies, the whole family will come to grief.”
“In any case, if something unfortunate should happen to you, we must all go into the fire and burn ourselves to death.”
When the lion heard this, he said, “Then do what you think best.”
So, the jackal returned to the other animals and said, “Our master is very sick and who will protect us, if something happens to him? Now nothing is to be gained by wandering around, looking for food, so let us go and offer him our own bodies. In this way, we shall repay our debt to the master.”
Then they all went and stood before the lion with tears in their eyes and bowed before him.
When the lion saw them, he asked, “Well, have you found any animal?” One of them, the crow, said, “Master, we have wandered everywhere but unfortunately we have not found any such animal. So eat me so that you can stay alive, and for this sacrifice, I shall go to heaven.”
When the jackal heard this, he said to the crow, “Your body is too small. Even if the master eats you, it won’t keep him alive. Still, you have shown your devotion to him and freed yourself from your debts. You will be praised here on earth and also in heaven. Now I too shall offer myself.”
Then the jackal stood humbly before the lion and said, “Master, eat me so that you can stay alive, and for this sacrifice, I shall go to heaven.” But the lion shook his head sadly.
When the camel saw all this, he thought to himself, “These two have spoken beautifully, but the master has eaten neither of them, so I too shall take my turn.”
So the camel said to the jackal and to the crow, “You have both spoken well, but you are both carnivorous animals and belong to the same caste as the lion, so how can he eat you? Stand aside, I too shall offer myself to him!”
When the camel had said this, he went and stood before the lion. He bowed low and said, “Master, you should not kill either of these animals; instead eat me, so that you can stay alive, and for this sacrifice, I shall go to heaven.”
As soon as the camel had finished speaking, the lion fell on him and tore him apart. And he was eaten by the hungry animals.
“And so,” continued Sanjivaka, “that’s why I said: ‘Wicked people, although they may be insignificant, Are mean-minded and live deceptively; One way or another, they will cause you death, Just as the jackal and the others did to the camel.’
“My friend,” Sanjivaka went on, “the lion is surrounded by despicable people. I have thoroughly understood that. And there is no doubt about it, someone has aroused his anger against me, that’s why he speaks as he does, for: ‘Even soft water drops, Falling persistently on a rock, Wear it away: So too, continuous complaints Against someone else, Poison a man’s mind.’
“Ah, well,” went on Sanjivaka, “tell me as a friend, as things stand, what should I do?”
“Better leave the country and go somewhere else,” replied Damanaka. “You should never serve someone like that, for they say: ‘Abandon a master, Who is conceited Or unable to differentiate between good and bad, Or immoral in his way.'”
-“That is true,” said Sanjivaka, “but even if I go somewhere else, I am not sure that I would escape, for the master is very angry with me and will pursue me wherever I go. And so, I think that there is no other honorable alternative for me but to fight him.”
When Damanaka heard this, he began to think, “This cursed ox seems to have made up his mind to fight. If he were to run his horns through the master, it would be a disaster for us all. So I must influence him in such a way that he leaves this place.”
Then, aloud, he said to Sanjivaka, “Friend, what you say is true but is a fight between servant and master becoming? And what is more: ‘He who attacks an enemy without knowing his strength, will be defeated, as the Sea was defeated by the tittibha birds.'”
-“How was that?” asked Sanjivaka.
And Damanaka told: THE STORY OF THE TITTIBHA BIRDS AND THE SEA
