(A story from Mahabharata, Shanti parva, chapter 112)
Once upon a time, there lived a cruel ruler of Vidisha kingdom. In the ripeness of time, he was reborn as a jackal. Remembering his past deeds, the jackal repented and decided to lead an austere life. He stayed aloof taking residence in a graveyard. The jackal practiced ahimsa, gave up eating any meat, and lived only on a diet of fallen fruits. Other jackals felt unhappy with their family member adopting a lifestyle, ill-suited for jackals. They persuaded him to change his way of life. But the jackal remained firm stating that one’s lifestyle should be based on one’s attitude, not birth.
Once, a tiger, the king of the jungle, heard about the austere jackal and was thrilled by his wisdom. He then came to see the wise jackal. The mighty tiger praised the jackal and asked if he could be his minister. Offering him all the luxuries, the king of the jungle said that being his minister was the most prestigious job.
The humbled jackal politely refused the offer stating that his austere ways would only enrage his comrades. Also, he said that he was contented and no luxury could tempt him. Further, the jackal added that he had always led a free life and would not enjoy serving anyone but himself.
Upon further persuasion, the jackal agreed to serve the tiger only if the tiger promised to respect his supporters, listen to his advice, stick to his routine, meet him alone to seek advice, not consult any other minister, not seek advice on family matters, and not punish anyone due to differences of opinion. The king said, “so be it.”
Old friends of the tiger began to hate the new minister. They tried to appease the jackal but in vain. The spoilt friends enjoyed luxuries in a carefree way before and felt choked now. They desperately tried to bribe the jackal only to fail. Ultimately they hatched a plan to turn the king against his new minister. They stole the meat prepared for the king and placed it with the jackal. The tiger got angry when they found his meat in the jackal’s place. He ordered the execution of his new minister.
Having heard about the crisis, the tiger’s mother alerted the tiger of his spoilt friends and their conspiracy. Finding the truth, the king revoked his order and tried to patch up with the jackal. The jackal refused to remain as his minister stating that the king is much swayed by his comrades and hence it is unfit for him to counsel the king. On a convincing note, the jackal departed to the jungle for penance, where he observed fasting and attained the heavens.
Thus, a king must be firm and judge his people not by their appearances, but by their moral uprightness.
