The Jackal's Judgment
Panchatantra Stories · 1 min read
A tiger trapped in a hunter's cage begged a passing Brahmin to free him, promising eternal gratitude. The soft-hearted Brahmin opened the cage door — and the tiger immediately announced he was going to eat him, arguing that hunger made all promises meaningless.
Terrified, the Brahmin insisted they ask a neutral judge, and the first three they consulted — a tree, a buffalo, and a road, each bitter about how ungratefully humans had treated them — sided with the tiger without hesitation.
At last they met a jackal, who listened to the story and frowned in confusion. "A tiger, inside a cage that small? I simply cannot picture it — you must show me exactly how you were sitting, before I can possibly judge fairly." Rolling his eyes at the jackal's apparent stupidity, the tiger climbed back into the cage to demonstrate.
The moment he was inside, the jackal slammed the door shut and latched it. "Some kindness," he told the Brahmin, "is best repaid by leaving foolish creatures exactly where you found them."
Moral of the story
Gratitude cannot be forced from a nature that was never grateful to begin with — but cleverness can still save you.