“The hawk said, ‘All the kings of the earth represent thee as a pious
ruler. Wherefore, O prince, has thou then stopped to perpetrate a deed
not sanctioned by the ordinance? I have been sore afflicted with hunger.
Do thou not withhold from me that which hath been appointed by the Deity
for my food,--under the impression that thereby thou servest the
interests of virtue, whereas in reality, thou wilt forsake it, (by
committing thyself to this act). Thereupon, the king said, ‘O best of the
feathered race, afflicted with fear of thee, and desirous of escaping
from thy hands, this bird, all in a hurry, hath come up to me asking for
life. When this pigeon hath in such a manner sought my protection, why
dost thou not see that the highest merit is even in my not surrendering
it unto thee? And it is trembling with fear, and is agitated, and is
seeking its life from me. It is therefore certainly blameworthy to
forsake it. He that slayeth a Brahmana, he that slaughtered a cow--the
common mother of all the worlds--and he that forsaketh one seeking for
protection are equally sinful.’ Thereat the hawk replied, ‘O lord of
earth, it is from food that all beings derive their life, and it is food
also that nourisheth and sustaineth them. A man can live long even after
forsaking what is dearest to him, but he cannot do so, after abstaining
from food. Being deprived of food, my life, O ruler of men, will surely
leave this body, and will attain to regions unknown to such troubles. But
at my death, O pious king, my wife and children will surely perish, and
by protecting this single pigeon. O prince, thou dost not protect many
lives. The virtue that standeth in the way of another virtue, is
certainly no virtue at all, but in reality is unrighteousness. But O
king, whose prowess consisteth in truth, that virtue is worthy of the
name, which is not conflicting. After instituting a comparison between
opposing virtues, and weighing their comparative merits, one, O great
prince, ought to espouse that which is not opposing. Do thou, therefore,
O king, striking a balance between virtues, adopt that which
preponderates.’ At this the king said, ‘O best of birds, as thou speakest
words fraught with much good, I suspect thee to be Suparna, the monarch
of birds. I have not the least hesitation to declare that thou art fully
conversant with the ways of virtue. As thou speakest wonders about
virtue, I think that there is nothing connected with it, that is unknown
to thee. How canst thou then consider the forsaking of one, seeking for
help, as virtuous? Thy efforts in this matter, O ranger of the skies,
have been in quest of food. Thou canst, however, appease thy hunger with
some other sort of food, even more copious. I am perfectly willing to
procure for thee any sort of food that to thee may seem most tasteful,
even if it be an ox, or a boar, or a deer, or a buffalo.’ Thereupon the
hawk said, ‘O great king, I am not desirous of eating (the flesh of) a
boar or an ox or the various species of beasts. What have I to do with
any other sort of food? Therefore, O bull among the Kshatriyas, leave to
me this pigeon, whom Heaven hath today ordained for my food, O ruler of
earth, that hawks eat pigeons is the eternal provision. O prince, do not
for support embrace a plantain tree, not knowing its want of strength.’
The king said, ‘Ranger of the skies, I am willing to bestow on thee this
rich province of my race, or any other thing that to thee may seem
desirable. With the sole exception of this pigeon, which hath approached
me craving my protection, I shall be glad to give unto thee anything that
thou mayst like. Let me know what I shall have to do for the deliverance
of this bird. But this I shall not return to thee on any condition
whatever.’”
“The hawk said, ‘O great ruler of men, if thou hast conceived an
affection for this pigeon, then cut off a portion of thine own flesh, and
weigh it in a balance, against this pigeon. And when thou hast found it
equal (in weight) to the pigeon, then do thou give it unto me, and that
will be to my satisfaction.’ Then the king replied, This request of
thine, O hawk, I consider as a favour unto me, and, therefore, I will
give unto thee even my own flesh, after weighing it in a balance.’
“Lomasa said, ‘Saying this, O mighty son of Kunti, the highly virtuous
king cut off a portion of his own flesh, and placed it in a balance,
against the pigeon. But when he found that pigeon exceeded his flesh in
weight, he once more cut off another portion of his flesh, and added it
to the former. When portion after portion had been repeatedly added to
weigh against the pigeon, and no more flesh was left on his body, he
mounted the scale himself, utterly devoid of flesh.
“The hawk then said, ‘I am Indra, O virtuous king, and this pigeon is
Agni, the carrier of the sacrificial clarified butter. We had come unto
thy sacrificial ground, desirous of testing thy merit. Since thou hast
cut off thy own flesh from thy body, thy glory shall be resplendent, and
shall surpass that of all others in the world. As long as men, O king,
shall speak of thee, so long shall thy glory endure, and thou shalt
inhabit the holy regions.’ Saying this to the king, Indra ascended to
heaven. And the virtuous king Usinara, after having filled heaven and
earth with the merit of his pious deeds, ascended to heaven in a radiant
shape. Behold, O king, the residence of that noble-hearted monarch. Here,
O king, are seen holy sages and gods, together with virtuous and
highsouled Brahmanas.”