King Shibi and the Dove

There was once a king named Shibi Rana, and his power was so great, and grew so fast, that the gods in heaven began to worry. What if he took their kingdoms away from them? So they thought of a plan to test him, to see whether he could truly master himself. For the gods believe that only a person who has mastered himself can never be beaten.

One day King Shibi was sitting on his throne in his hall of pillars, looking out over the open courtyard with its gardens and fountains. Suddenly, high in the air, a white dove came flying straight towards him. An eagle was chasing it, trying to kill it. The dove flew as fast as its terror could carry it, but the eagle flew faster. Just as it was about to be caught, the little bird reached the throne. Without a moment’s pause, the king opened his robe, and the dove fluttered inside and pressed itself against his heart, panting and trembling.

The eagle stopped in front of the throne. It seemed to blaze with anger, and everyone in the hall trembled except the king. No one was even surprised when the bird spoke.

“Give me my prey!” it demanded in a loud voice.

“No,” said King Shibi calmly. “This dove has come to me for shelter, and I will not betray its trust.”

“So this is your famous mercy?” sneered the eagle. “That dove was going to be my dinner. If you use your power to protect it, you let me starve. Is that what you want?”

“Not at all,” said the king. “I will give you the same amount of any other food you choose.”

“Any other food?” said the eagle, mocking him. “And what if I asked for your own flesh?”

“Then my own flesh would be given,” said King Shibi firmly.

A harsh laugh rang through the hall, and the courtiers jumped. But when they looked at the bird again, its eye was as steady and sharp as before.

“Then this is what I require,” said the eagle slowly. “Put the dove on one side of a pair of scales, and the same weight of the king’s flesh on the other.”

“It shall be done,” said the king, and he signalled for the scales to be brought.

“Wait!” said the eagle. “The flesh must be taken from the right side of your body only.”

“That is easily granted,” said the king with a smile.

“And your wife and son must be there to see it.”

“Bring the queen and my son here,” the king told one of his officers.

So the queen and the prince took their places, the scales were set up, and the dove was placed on one side. Then the terrible order began to be carried out. But to the horror of the whole court, every time more of the king’s flesh was added to the scales, the dove grew heavier, and the two sides would not balance.

At last a single tear fell from King Shibi’s left eye.

“Stop!” thundered the eagle. “I do not want a gift given unwillingly. Your tears spoil the worth of your sacrifice.”

“No, my friend,” said the king gently, and he turned to the eagle a face shining with joy. “You are mistaken. The left side weeps only because, when it comes to protecting the weak and helpless, the right side of the king is the only one allowed to suffer.”

At these words, everyone in the hall gasped, for the eagle and the dove had vanished. In their place stood Indra, the king of the gods, and Agni, the god of fire.

Indra spoke in a voice full of respect. “Against greatness like King Shibi’s,” he said, “even the gods will struggle in vain. Blessings on you, O King, protector of the helpless, who burns with the joy of giving. To such souls even the gods must bow and give a place above themselves.”

About this story

The story of King Shibi (also spelled Sibi or Shivi) is told in the great Indian epic, the Mahabharata, and Buddhist storytellers tell a version of it too. This retelling follows “The Story of Shibi Rana; or, The Eagle and the Dove” from Cradle Tales of Hinduism (1907) by Sister Nivedita. She was Margaret Noble, an Irish-born teacher who settled in Calcutta and opened a school for girls, and this book presents her English retellings of Hindu stories.

In some tellings the eagle is a hawk, and the gods are Indra and Agni in disguise, just as here.

Read the original: Sister Nivedita, Cradle Tales of Hinduism (1907), Internet Archive

Suggested for older readers within ages 9–12 with an adult: includes flesh being cut from the king’s body while his wife and child watch.

The scales stop being a fair measure

Shibi first offers other food, recognising the eagle’s hunger as well as the dove’s fear. The changing weight and added conditions then make the test impossible by ordinary measures. His answer about the tear completes the story’s ideal of limitless generosity, but that religious ideal need not make bodily injury a model for a child to copy.

Consider both needs

Write the dove’s need and the eagle’s claim in separate sentences. Propose a way to protect one without harming the other or the helper. Which solution does the king try before the supernatural test escalates?

Questions to ask

• Why did the gods decide to test King Shibi?
• Why did King Shibi refuse to give up the dove?
• What did the king mean when he explained why his left eye wept?

You may also like

• The Ant and the Dove — another story of a dove and a kindness
• Savitri and the Lord of Death — another tale from the Mahabharata retold by Sister Nivedita
• The King’s White Elephant — a Jataka tale about goodness that even kings must respect