The Story of the Jackal and the Sanyasi

“Once upon a time, in a lonely matha, there lived a Sanyasi called Dev Sharma. Many people sed to visithim and present him with finely wovei: i garments, whichhe sold and got very rich on the proceeds. As a resultof being so rich, he trusted nobody. Night and day hekept the treasure purse under his armpit and wouldnot part with it even for a second. As they say: ‘Getting money is an arduous toil And guarding it is even more of a trial. Coming and going money causes trouble, Damn this unending source of worry! ‘ “A swindler b y the name o f Ashadhbhuti, who robbedother men of their money, noticed that the Sanyasi keptthe treasure purse under his armpit. He said to himself, ‘How could I rob this man of his morieyl It’s difficultto make a hole through the walls of the matha or toget i n over the high gates, so what I’ll do is charm himwith honeyed words so that he accep ts me as, his disciple. And when he has put confidence in me, some day he’llfall into my clutches. As they say: “A man who has· no desires, Doesn’t deprive others of their rights.”. And, “A man with no passion Doesn’t adorn himself, The fool does not speak subtly, And the man who speaks out his mind, Is never a cheat.” ‘ “When he had resolutely made up1 his mind, to carryoul this plan, Ashadhbhuti approached, Dev Sharma, stood before him with reverence and said, ‘Om Namaha ShivayaJ! With these words, he threw himself humblyon the ground before Dev Sharma and said, ‘Oh, Bhagawan, this life is futile! Youth gushes by, like amountain stream. Life is like <: l fire in the grass, all its

pleasures ar¢ as transient as the clouds in autumn, andone’s relationship with friends, sons, wives and servantsis no more than a dream. This I have clearly realised. Now guide me that I may cross the ocean of life.’ “When· Dev. Sharma heard this, he said kindly, ‘my son; you are indeed blessed that you have come to giveup the world in your youth. You ask for direction tocross this ocean of life. Then listen. According to myway. of thinking: “The good man’s mind Has the peace of old age Whilst his body is still young, But the wicked man’s body Is feeble with age Whilst his mind remains young.” ‘ “When Ashadhbhuti heard this, he fell on. the groundbefore Dev Sharma, touched his feet, and said, ‘Oh, B hagawan, initiate me in the secrets! ‘

• ‘ M y child!’, answered Dev Sharma, ‘ I will, but on one

condition,,. that you will never enter the matha at night, because Sanyasis are recommended to stay alone at nightwithout company, and we will keep to it, you and I. For they say: “A king is ruined through baa advisers, A Sanyasi tfiiough company, A son through over-indulgence, A Brahmin through lack of studying the shastras, A business or a farm through neglect, And a family and character through contact withbad people.” ‘And so,’ continued Dev Sharma, ‘after taking thevow of initiation, you will –have to sleep m a thatchedhut at the gate of the matha.’

• ‘I shall willingly carry out your wishes,’ said

Ashadhbhuti. “At bedtime, Dev Sharma initiated Ashadhbhutiaccording to the rituals and made him his disciple. Ashadhbhuti massaged his hands and feet, waited upon

him and made him happy but none theless Dev Sharmadid not part with his money bag even for a second. “After some time, Ashadhbhuti began to think, ‘Hedoes not trust me at alll Shall I knife him in broaddaylight, poison liim or kill him like a wild animal? ‘ “While h e was thinking this over, the son o f o n e of Dev Sharma’s disciples, from a nearby village, tame togive him a personal invitation and said, ‘Bhagawan! Today the ceremony of the sacred thread takes placein our house. Please come and sanctify it with yourpresence.’ ” Dev Sharm;::. gladly accepted the invitation and Ashadhbhuti accompanied him. On the way, they came to a river. When Dev Sharma saw the river, he foldedhis money bag in his robe and said, ‘Ashadhbhuti, lookafter this robe with the vigilance of a Yogi* until Ireturn.’ And he went into the bushes. The minute Dev Sharma’s back was turned, Ashadhbhuti vanished with the money bag. “Meanwhile, as Dev Sharma was answering the call ofnature, he saw in the distance, two golden rams, fightingeach other. They rammed into each other until theblood oozed out, but still they refused to stop fighting. “Meai; iwhile, a blood-thirsty jackal arrived on the sceneand began to lick the blood from the ground. Dev Sharma thought to himself, ‘If he comes in between thetwo fighting rams, he’s sure to get himself killed.’ “Sure · enough, craving for the blood, the jackal gotcaught up in the fight. He was hit on the head, felldown and died. “Dev Sharma finished what he was doing and slowlyreturned, thinking about this incident and also abouthis money. When he got back, he failed to find Ashadhbhuti but saw only his robe, lying on the ground. He peered anxiously inside it but could not find hispurse. He began to cry out, ‘Alas! I have been robbed! ‘ And h e fell to the ground, in a swoon. “After a minute or so, he returned to his senses. He ·

got up arid began to shout ‘Ashadhbhuti, where areyou, yoti swindler! Answer me! ‘ After he had shoutedlike this in a loud voice, he slowly trailed Ashadhbhuti’sfootsteps until, just before evening, he came to a village. He stayed there a short time and then returned to hismatha. -“And so,” continued Damanaka, “that’s why I said: ‘The jackal between the fighting rams And the Sanyasi who trusted Ashadhbhuti, W ere1 themselves to blame.’ ” -“So, under the circumstances, what should we do?” said Karataka. -“At this very moment, I’m getting inspiration,” said I)amanaka. “I shall, cleverly create · discord between hjmand the master and separate them, for they say: ‘An arrow, shot from. a bow Ma}’ or may not kill a man, But the wit of a clever man Can destroy a host of enemies.’ ” -“Oh, but brother! ” said Karataka. ” If, somehow orother, Pingalaka or Sanjivaka. finds out about yourscheme to bring about discord between them, you’redone for! ” -” My dear Karataka,” said Damanaka, “don’t. talk likethat. When you fall on bad times and luck’s against you,. you should go on trying, for: ‘Lakshmi bestows her favours, On the zealous man. She scorns the idle, Who depend entirely on luck. So1 brush destiny as!de And try with all your might. If you still fait, Ffod out what went wrong.’ -“And so,” Damanaka went on, “that’s. w4y I shallcontinue to work on them so subtly that neither of them. will have a chance to know anything about it.” When he heard this, Karataka said, “Very well the ·

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brother, but I feel frightened because Sanjivaka is wiseand the lion is fierce: Even though you have a sharpwit, I think its he.y.qpd your power to. separate themand get away with it.” -“I t may seem beyond me,” said Damanaka, “but I’llmanage it, for:. ‘What cannot be achieved by force, Can be achieved through deceit. With the llelp of the gold chain, The female crow killed the black cobra-. ‘ ” -“How was that?” asked Karataka. And Damanaka told:

PANCH ATANTRA

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What is the moral of THE STORY OF THE JACKAL AND THE SANYASI?

The moral is: To value wisdom and make thoughtful decisions. This story teaches us that every action has consequences, and we must think carefully about the impact of our choices on ourselves and others.

What collection does THE STORY OF THE JACKAL AND THE SANYASI belong to?

THE STORY OF THE JACKAL AND THE SANYASI is from the Hitopadesha Collection, an ancient Sanskrit text. The Hitopadesha is a timeless collection of stories that teaches important life lessons through didactic stories about friendship and wisdom.

What age group is THE STORY OF THE JACKAL AND THE SANYASI suitable for?

THE STORY OF THE JACKAL AND THE SANYASI is best suited for Ages 8-12. Younger children will enjoy hearing it read aloud for its engaging narrative, while older children can read it independently and explore the deeper meanings and moral lessons embedded in the story.