_THE BRAHMIN, THE TIGER AND THE SIX JUDGES._
Once upon a time, a Brahmin, who was walking along the road, came upon
an iron cage, in which a great Tiger had been shut up by the villagers
who caught him.
As the Brahmin passed by, the Tiger called out and said to him,
"Brother Brahmin, brother Brahmin, have pity on me, and let me out of
this cage for one minute only to drink a little water, for I am dying
of thirst." The Brahmin answered, "No, I will not; for if I let you
out of the cage you will eat me."
"Oh, father of mercy," answered the Tiger, "in truth that will I not.
I will never be so ungrateful; only let me out, that I may drink some
water and return." Then the Brahmin took pity on him and opened the
cage door; but no sooner had he done so than the Tiger, jumping out,
said, "Now, I will eat you first and drink the water afterward." But
the Brahmin said, "Only do not kill me hastily. Let us first ask the
opinion of six, and if all of them say it is just and fair that you
should put me to death, then I am willing to die." "Very well,"
answered the Tiger, "it shall be as you say; we will first ask the
opinion of six."
So the Brahmin and the Tiger walked on till they came to a Banyan
tree; and the Brahmin said to it, "Banyan tree, Banyan tree, hear and
give judgment." "On what must I give judgment?" asked the Banyan tree.
"This Tiger," said the Brahmin, "begged me to let him out of his cage
to drink a little water, and he promised not to hurt me if I did so;
but now, that I have let him out, he wishes to eat me. Is it just that
he should do so or no?"
The Banyan tree answered, "Men often come to take shelter in the cool
shade under my boughs from the scorching rays of the sun; but when
they have rested, they cut and break my pretty branches and wantonly
scatter my leaves. Let the Tiger eat the man, for men are an
ungrateful race."
At these words the Tiger would have instantly killed the Brahmin; but
the Brahmin said, "Tiger, Tiger, you must not kill me yet, for you
promised that we should first hear the judgment of six." "Very well,"
said the Tiger, and they went on their way. After a little while they
met a Camel. "Sir Camel, Sir Camel," cried the Brahmin, "hear and give
judgment." "On what shall I give judgment?" asked the Camel. And the
Brahmin related how the Tiger had begged him to open the cage door,
and promised not to eat him if he did so; and how he had afterward
determined to break his word, and asked if that were just or not. The
Camel replied, "When I was young and strong, and could do much work,
my master took care of me and gave me good food; but now that I am
old, and have lost all my strength in his service, he overloads me and
starves me, and beats me without mercy. Let the Tiger eat the man, for
men are an unjust and cruel race."
The Tiger would then have killed the Brahmin, but the latter said,
"Stop, Tiger, for we must first hear the judgment of six."
So they both went again on their way. At a little distance they found
a Bullock lying by the road-side. The Brahmin said to him, "Brother
Bullock, brother Bullock, hear and give judgment." "On what must I
give judgment?" asked the Bullock. The Brahmin answered, "I found this
Tiger in a cage, and he prayed me to open the door and let him out to
drink a little water, and promised not to kill me if I did so; but
when I had let him out he resolved to put me to death. Is it fair he
should do so or no?" The Bullock said, "When I was able to work my
master fed me well and tended me carefully, but now I am old he has
forgotten all I did for him, and left me by the road-side to die. Let
the Tiger eat the man, for men have no pity."
Three out of the six had given judgment against the Brahmin, but still
he did not lose all hope, and determined to ask the other three.
They next met an Eagle flying through the air, to whom the Brahmin
cried, "O Eagle, great Eagle, hear and give judgment?" "On what must I
give judgment?" asked the Eagle. The Brahmin stated the case, but the
Eagle answered, "Whenever men see me they try to shoot me; they climb
the rocks and steal away my little ones. Let the Tiger eat the man,
for men are the persecutors of the earth."
Then the Tiger began to roar, and said, "The judgment of all is
against you, O Brahmin." But the Brahmin answered, "Stay yet a little
longer, for two others must first be asked." After this they saw an
Alligator, and the Brahmin related the matter to him, hoping for a
more favorable verdict. But the Alligator said, "Whenever I put my
nose out of the water men torment me and try to kill me. Let the Tiger
eat the man, for as long as men live we shall have no rest."
The Brahmin gave himself up as lost; but again he prayed the Tiger to
have patience and let him ask the opinion of the sixth judge. Now the
sixth was a Jackal. The Brahmin told his story, and said to him,
"Mama[80] Jackal, mama Jackal, say what is your judgment?" The Jackal
answered, "It is impossible for me to decide who is in the right and
who in the wrong unless I see the exact position in which you were
when the dispute began. Show me the place." So the Brahmin and the
Tiger returned to the place where they first met, and the Jackal went
with them. When they got there, the Jackal said, "Now, Brahmin, show
me exactly where you stood." "Here," said the Brahmin, standing by the
iron tiger-cage. "Exactly there, was it?" asked the Jackal. "Exactly
here," replied the Brahmin. "Where was the Tiger, then?" asked the
Jackal. "In the cage," answered the Tiger. "How do you mean?" said the
Jackal; "how were you within the cage? which way were you looking?"
"Why, I stood so," said the Tiger, jumping into the cage, "and my head
was on this side." "Very good," said the Jackal, "but I cannot judge
without understanding the whole matter exactly. Was the cage door open
or shut?" "Shut and bolted," said the Brahmin. "Then shut and bolt
it," said the Jackal.
[80] Uncle.
When the Brahmin had done this, the Jackal said, "Oh, you wicked and
ungrateful Tiger! when the good Brahmin opened your cage door, is to
eat him the only return you would make? Stay there, then, for the rest
of your days, for no one will ever let you out again. Proceed on your
journey, friend Brahmin. Your road lies that way and mine this."
So saying, the Jackal ran off in one direction, and the Brahmin went
rejoicing on his way in the other.
[Decoration]
[Decoration]