The Tiger, The Brahman, And The Jackal
Indian Fairy Tale
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Retold by The Legendary Connection
TLC#00091
Once, in a quiet village on the edge of a great forest in India, there lived a kind-hearted Brahman. He spent his days in prayer, teaching, and helping others, always choosing peace and goodness above all. One hot afternoon, while walking past the edge of the jungle, the Brahman heard a desperate voice crying out, “Oh kind sir, please help me! I beg you!”
The voice came from a deep pit near the path. Curious and concerned, the Brahman stepped closer, and there, pacing at the bottom of the trap, was a fierce tiger. The creature's eyes were wild with hunger and fear. “Please, noble Brahman,” the tiger pleaded, “I was caught by cruel hunters and thrown into this pit. I’ve been trapped for days with no food or water. I will surely die here. Please let me out!”
The Brahman hesitated. “But you are a tiger,” he said gently. “If I let you out, won’t you eat me?”
“Eat you?” said the tiger, feigning shock. “Me? Never! What kind of creature do you think I am? I would be grateful. I would be your friend forever!”
The Brahman looked at the tiger’s pitiful eyes and his bones showing beneath his striped skin. Moved by compassion, he took a long branch and lowered it into the pit. With a great leap, the tiger climbed out, landing softly on the earth. But no sooner had the tiger stretched his limbs than his eyes changed. Hunger flickered behind them, and he licked his lips. “I am sorry, dear Brahman,” he growled, “but I’ve been starving for days, and you are the only food I see.”
The Brahman stepped back, heart racing. “You promised,” he said. “You gave your word.”
The tiger yawned, showing his sharp teeth. “True, but I’m a tiger, and tigers do what they must to survive.”
Still, the Brahman was wise, and he said, “If it is truly fair to eat the one who saved your life, then so be it. But let’s ask others before you decide. Let three things of the world judge between us. If they agree you may eat me, then I will accept my fate.”
The tiger, thinking he’d win easily, agreed. “Very well,” he said. “Let’s see what the world says.”
So the two walked together into the forest to seek judgment. First, they came upon a tall, ancient tree. Its branches reached high into the sky, but its bark was cracked, and its leaves wilted under the sun.
“Wise Tree,” the Brahman said, “we ask for your judgment. I saved this tiger from death, and now he wishes to eat me. Is that right or wrong?”
The Tree sighed deeply. “I have given shade to travelers all my life, but when I grew old, they broke my branches for firewood and carved into my bark for sport. The world is cruel to those who give. Let the tiger eat you.”
The Brahman’s heart sank, but they walked on. Next, they found an old buffalo lying beside a dried-up stream. His ribs showed through his hide, and flies buzzed around his tired eyes.
“Brother Buffalo,” said the Brahman kindly, “you are strong and wise. Help us settle a matter. Should the tiger eat the man who saved him from death?”
The Buffalo snorted. “I once worked for a farmer who fed me well. I plowed his fields and pulled his carts. But when I grew old and weak, he turned me out without a thought. Kindness is often repaid with cruelty. Let the tiger eat you.”
The Brahman sighed. Two judgments had gone against him. One more, and he was finished. Still, they continued. At last, they came upon a jackal, lounging lazily in the sun with a silly grin on his face. His fur was dusty, his eyes bright and clever.
“Uncle Jackal,” the Brahman said, “we seek your judgment. I rescued this tiger from a pit, and now he wants to eat me. Two have said he should. What do you say?”
The jackal looked at them, tilting his head left, then right. “You rescued him from a pit, you say?”
“Yes,” said the Brahman.
“And now he wants to eat you?”
“Yes,” the Brahman nodded sadly.
“Hmm,” the jackal said, scratching his ear. “My brain is very small. I’m not sure I understand. Can you show me what happened?”
So, the three of them walked back to the pit.
“Now,” said the jackal, “Tiger, show me exactly where you were.”
The tiger leapt down into the pit again, just as he had been before.
“Now you,” the jackal said to the Brahman. “Show me where you were standing when you helped him.”
The Brahman stood by the edge of the pit.
“Ah, now I see!” said the jackal, nodding slowly. “You were down there, and he was up here, and then you jumped into the pit to eat him, right?”
“No, no!” cried the tiger. “I was in the pit, and he helped me out!”
“Wait,” said the jackal, rubbing his chin. “I thought you said you were on top and he was below? Or was it the other way around?”
The tiger growled. “Are you trying to confuse me, jackal?”
“Not at all,” said the jackal sweetly. “But I’m very silly, you see. My head spins with all this talk. Maybe you could show me again? I just want to be very sure before I give my judgment.”
The tiger, now impatient and annoyed, said, “Fine!” and leapt into the pit once more.
“Just like that?” asked the jackal.
“Yes!” the tiger roared.
“Good,” said the jackal, turning to the Brahman with a wink. “Now don’t help him out again.”
And with that, the tiger was trapped once more.
The Brahman’s eyes lit up with relief, and he bowed to the jackal. “Thank you, dear friend. You have saved my life.”
The jackal grinned. “Sometimes the world may seem cruel and ungrateful, but a little cleverness and a good heart can still set things right.”
And with a flick of his tail, he trotted back into the forest, leaving the tiger growling in the pit and the Brahman free and safe once more.
Moral:
Kindness is precious, but it should not be blind. Even the noblest heart must use wisdom when dealing with those who may not return goodness in kind.
Source: Jacobs, Joseph. Indian Fairy Tales. DAVID NUTT, 270, 271 STRAND, 1892. https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/7128/pg7128-images.html#The_Tiger_the_Brahman_and_the_Jackal
