In times long past there was a very greedy jackal, which used to roam
in the forest, and even in places uninhabited by men. At length he made
his way into the house of a dyer, and fell into an indigo vat. After he
had escaped he lay down to sleep on a neighbouring dunghill. Having
tossed about thereon, so that his body became ever so unshapely, he
jumped into the water. When he had come out, and had been exposed to
the rays of the sun, he acquired the colour of cyanite.
When the other jackals saw him, they dispersed and stood afar off, and
asked, “Who are you? where do you come from?”
He replied, “My name is Śataga, and I have been appointed king of the
fourfooted beasts by Śakra, the king of the gods.”
The jackals considered that, as his body was of a colour never before
seen, this must be true, and they made all the fourfooted beasts
acquainted with the fact. The lions thought, “If some one is exalted
above us and made the king of the beasts, we must go and carry this
news to the chief of our band.” So they told the news to the maned
chief of their band, who dwelt in a certain hill district. He ordered
the other beasts to go forth and find out whether any animal had seen
this chieftain of the fourfooted. So they betook themselves to where
the jackal was, and made inquiries. And they perceived the jackal, like
unto nothing ever seen before, surrounded by all the fourfooted
creatures except the lions. Then they returned to their chief and told
him what they had seen. And he, when he had listened to them, betook
himself, surrounded by the band of lions, to where the jackal was. The
jackal, surrounded by many quadrupeds, rode along on an elephant, with
the lions around him, and then the tigers and other quadrupeds. The
jackals formed a circle round him at a greater distance.
Now the jackal’s mother dwelt in a certain mountain ravine. Her son
sent a jackal to her, and invited her to come, now that he had obtained
the sovereign power. She asked what was the nature of his surroundings.
The messenger replied, “The inner circle is formed of lions, tigers,
and elephants, but the outer of jackals.”
She said, “So much for things not following their proper order.” She
also said in verse:—
“I live here comfortably in the mountain ravine, and amid cool waters
enjoy my good fortune; so long as he utters no jackal’s cry, the
elephant will let him retain his prosperity.”
The messenger jackal said to the jackals, “This king of the fourfooted
is only another jackal. I have seen his mother who dwells in such and
such a mountain ravine.”
They replied, “In that case we will test him and see whether he is a
jackal or not.”
Now it is according to the nature of things that jackals, if they hear
a jackal howl without howling themselves, lose their hair.
So the jackal, when he heard the other jackals lift up their voices,
said to himself, “If I utter no cry, my hair will certainly fall off.
But if I get off the elephant and then begin to howl, he will kill me.
So I will lift up my voice where I am.”
So soon as, sitting on the elephant, he began to lift up his voice, the
elephant perceived that it was a jackal that was riding on his back, so
he flung him off and trampled him under foot. A deity uttered this
verse:—
“He who keeps at a distance those who should be near, and brings near
those who should be at a distance, will be cast down, as the jackal was
by the elephant.”