The Disguised Wolf's Fasting Trick
Jataka Tales · 1 min read
A jackal too old and slow to chase mice by force disguised himself instead as a holy ascetic, standing motionless on one leg beside a mouse burrow, eyes closed, appearing to fast in deep meditation.
The mice, awed by what looked like true piety, began approaching cautiously to pay their respects, and the "ascetic" allowed the boldest ones to come close enough each day — quietly snatching and eating the last mouse in every line of visitors before the rest noticed anything wrong.
An old, wary mouse, counting heads carefully one evening, noticed their numbers shrinking steadily despite no obvious danger, and grew suspicious of the perfectly still "holy" jackal who never seemed to actually eat, sleep, or move at all. Testing him, she approached from an angle where she could watch his eyes closely — and caught the telltale flicker of hunger the moment a careless young mouse wandered too near his jaws.
She raised the alarm at once, and the mice fled the burrow entirely rather than trust another day to a "saint" whose piety had never once been real.
Moral of the story
A show of holiness proves nothing — true character is measured by what happens when no one seems to be watching.