The Jackal and the Sanyasi
A Heartwarming Tale from the Panchatantra
Chapter 1: The Hungry Jackal’s Big Idea
Once upon a time, in a beautiful forest near the holy city of Kashi, there lived a very clever jackal named Chandraka. His golden fur shimmered in the sunlight, and his bright eyes were always looking for his next meal.
“Oh, my tummy is rumbling again!” Chandraka said to himself one morning, patting his empty belly. “I’m so tired of searching for food every single day. There must be an easier way!”
As he wandered near the edge of the forest, Chandraka’s nose picked up the most wonderful smells—fresh bread, sweet fruits, and creamy milk! Following his nose, he discovered a kind old sanyasi (holy man) named Dharmananda sitting peacefully under a giant banyan tree.
“Wow!” whispered Chandraka, hiding behind a bush. “Look at all that delicious food!”
He watched as villagers came one by one, bowing respectfully to the sanyasi and placing baskets full of yummy treats at his feet.
“Good morning, Guruji!” said a little girl, offering a bowl of rice pudding. “Please bless our family!”
“Thank you, dear child,” smiled the sanyasi gently. “May you always be happy and healthy.”
Chandraka’s mouth watered as he watched plate after plate of food being offered. “This holy man gets fed without doing anything! He just sits there and people bring him feast after feast. If only I could share in this wonderful life…”
Suddenly, Chandraka’s eyes sparkled with a mischievous idea. “I know! I’ll pretend to be a good, spiritual jackal who wants to learn from him. Then he’ll have to share his food with me!”
Chapter 2: The Sweet Pretense
The next morning, Chandraka took a deep breath and practiced his most innocent expression in a puddle of water. “Perfect!” he said to his reflection. “I look just like a reformed jackal who’s learned his lesson!”
With his tail held low and his head bowed humbly, Chandraka slowly approached the sanyasi. The holy man was sitting in meditation, his face peaceful and kind.
“Excuse me, O wise and wonderful sanyasi,” Chandraka said in his sweetest voice, placing his paws together respectfully. “I am just a poor little jackal from the forest. I have heard from all the birds and squirrels about your amazing wisdom and kindness. Would you… would you please accept me as your student?”
The sanyasi opened his warm, twinkling eyes and looked at the jackal with surprise. “My goodness! A jackal seeking spiritual guidance? How wonderful! Of course, my dear child. All creatures who truly want to learn about goodness are welcome here.”
Chandraka’s heart did a little happy dance, but he kept his expression serious. “Oh, thank you, thank you, Master!”
“But tell me, little one,” the sanyasi asked gently, “what has brought you to seek this path? Jackals usually prefer the wild life of the forest.”
Chandraka had prepared his story very carefully. He made his eyes look very sad and let out a small sigh. “Oh, Master, I am so tired of being mean and scary! Every day I had to hunt and chase other animals. I made them run away in fear, and it made my heart feel so heavy and sad.”
The sanyasi’s kind heart was touched by these words. “Oh, you poor little creature! It must have been very difficult for you.”
“Yes, Master!” Chandraka continued, even making his voice tremble a little. “I don’t want to frighten anyone anymore. I want to learn to be kind and peaceful, just like you! I want to be friends with all the animals instead of scaring them away.”
“What a beautiful transformation!” exclaimed the sanyasi, his eyes shining with joy. “Of course you may stay with me, dear Chandraka. We shall share whatever food the kind villagers bring, and I will teach you all about being good and compassionate.”
“Really?” Chandraka gasped, as if he couldn’t believe his good fortune. “We’ll share the food? All of it?”
“Of course!” laughed the sanyasi. “But remember, my child, the path of goodness requires complete honesty and a pure heart.”
“I understand completely, Master,” Chandraka replied, trying not to smile too widely. “I promise to be the best student you’ve ever had!”
Chapter 3: Playing the Perfect Student
For the next few days, Chandraka acted like the most wonderful student anyone could imagine. Every morning, he would sit perfectly still beside the sanyasi, his fluffy tail wrapped neatly around his paws, pretending to meditate.
“Remember, Chandraka,” the sanyasi would say softly, “when we meditate, we think only peaceful, loving thoughts.”
“Yes, Master,” Chandraka would reply sweetly, though he was actually thinking about all the delicious food he would eat that day.
When the villagers came to visit, Chandraka would bow his head respectfully and speak only about peace and kindness.
“Look, Mama!” whispered a little boy to his mother. “The jackal is being so good!”
“Yes, beta,” his mother replied in amazement. “Our guruji has truly worked a miracle! He has changed a wild jackal into a peaceful creature!”
The villagers were so impressed that they began bringing even more food than before. “If our guru can transform a jackal,” they thought, “his teachings must be truly magical!”
Soon, their simple dwelling was overflowing with the most delicious treats—creamy milk, golden honey, soft rotis, juicy mangoes, and sweet laddus. Chandraka had never eaten so well in his entire life!
“This is the best life ever!” he thought to himself while munching on a particularly delicious gulab jamun. “No more hunting in the rain, no more fighting other animals for scraps, no more going to sleep hungry. All I have to do is sit here and pretend to be good!”
During the day, the sanyasi would teach him about being kind to all creatures.
“You see, Chandraka,” the sanyasi would say, “every living being feels happiness and sadness, just like you and me. A truly good person never hurts others.”
“Oh yes, Master!” Chandraka would nod eagerly. “I never want to hurt anyone ever again!”
But deep inside, Chandraka was laughing at how easy it was to trick the kind old man.
Chapter 4: The Temptation Grows
As the weeks passed, something started to change in Chandraka. The sanyasi’s daily talks about non-violence and compassion began to feel very long and boring. And whenever he smelled meat cooking in the nearby village, his mouth would water terribly.
One sunny morning, while the sanyasi was teaching him about the importance of protecting all creatures, a fat, juicy chicken wandered right into their little clearing!
“Cluck, cluck, cluck!” said the chicken, pecking at some grains that had spilled from the food offerings.
Chandraka’s eyes went wide, and his whole body tensed up like a coiled spring. The chicken looked so plump and delicious! His nose twitched, his pupils grew large, and he began to drool just a tiny bit.
“All creatures are our brothers and sisters,” the sanyasi continued peacefully. “We must protect them just as we would protect our own family.”
But Chandraka couldn’t hear a word the sanyasi was saying. All he could think about was how wonderful that chicken would taste. His muscles tightened, ready to pounce.
“Chandraka?” the sanyasi asked gently, noticing that his student seemed distracted. “Are you feeling alright? You look quite… excited.”
“Oh! No, no, Master!” Chandraka said quickly, forcing himself to look away from the chicken. “I was just… um… thinking very deeply about your wise words about loving all creatures!”
The sanyasi smiled and nodded, but something small and worried began to grow in his heart. He had noticed how Chandraka’s eyes had followed the chicken, how his body had tensed like a hunter ready to strike.
“Perhaps I’m imagining things,” the sanyasi thought to himself. “After all, he seems so sincere about changing his ways.”
Chapter 5: The First Terrible Mistake
The next day, the temptation became too strong for poor Chandraka to resist. When the sanyasi announced he was going to the river for his daily bath, Chandraka’s ears perked up with excitement.
“I’ll be back soon, my dear student,” the sanyasi said kindly. “Please continue your meditation while I’m gone.”
“Of course, Master!” Chandraka replied sweetly. “I’ll sit here very quietly and think only pure thoughts.”
But the moment the sanyasi disappeared down the path, that same plump chicken returned to their clearing!
“Cluck, cluck, cluck!” it said happily, completely unaware of any danger.
Chandraka’s good intentions melted away like ice in the sun. “Just this once,” he told himself. “I’ll be good again right after this. No one will ever know…”
POUNCE! In a flash, Chandraka leaped on the poor chicken and gobbled it up so quickly that only a few feathers remained scattered on the ground.
“Oh no, oh no, oh no!” Chandraka gasped, suddenly realizing what he had done. “Master will be back soon! What am I going to tell him?”
He quickly tried to hide the feathers, but there were too many. His heart was beating so fast it felt like a drum in his chest.
When the sanyasi returned, refreshed from his bath, he immediately saw the white feathers scattered everywhere. His face became very sad and worried.
“Chandraka,” he said gently, “what has happened here? Where did all these feathers come from?”
Chandraka’s mind raced. “I… I… Oh, Master, it was terrible!” he cried, making his voice sound very upset. “A big, mean wild dog came while you were gone! It attacked that poor innocent chicken! I tried my best to save it, I really did, but the dog was too strong!”
The sanyasi’s heart sank as he listened to this story. “A wild dog? But I saw no paw prints, heard no barking…”
“It all happened so fast!” Chandraka continued, fake tears in his eyes. “I’ve been sitting here ever since, feeling so sad about that poor chicken. I even said a prayer for its little soul!”
The sanyasi looked at his student with growing concern. Something about this story didn’t feel right, but he wanted so much to believe in Chandraka’s transformation.
“I see,” he said quietly. “Well, we must be more careful to protect the innocent creatures who visit us.”
But deep in his wise heart, the sanyasi began to worry that his student might not be as changed as he had hoped.
Chapter 6: The Lies Grow Bigger
Now that Chandraka had told one lie successfully, telling more lies seemed much easier. The taste of that chicken had reminded him how much he missed eating meat, and the constant vegetarian meals now seemed bland and unsatisfying.
Two days later, when the sanyasi went to gather herbs in the forest, a young goat wandered near their ashram.
“Meh, meh!” bleated the goat innocently.
This time, Chandraka didn’t even try to resist. He pounced on the goat and ate it up, leaving only some tufts of fur and a small blood stain on the ground.
When the sanyasi returned, he gasped in horror. “Chandraka! What happened here? There’s blood on the ground!”
Chandraka put on his most innocent expression. “Oh, Master, those terrible wild dogs came back! This time they attacked a poor little goat! I tried to chase them away, but there were too many of them!”
“Wild dogs again?” the sanyasi asked, his voice full of concern and growing suspicion.
“Yes, Master! I think they’ve formed a pack and are hunting near our peaceful ashram. Maybe we should ask the villagers to help us drive them away?”
The sanyasi began to watch Chandraka much more carefully after that. He noticed how his student’s eyes would light up whenever an animal came near. He saw how Chandraka would lick his lips when he thought no one was looking. And he realized that these “wild dog attacks” only seemed to happen when Chandraka was alone.
“Something is very wrong here,” the sanyasi thought sadly. “But I hope with all my heart that I’m mistaken about my dear student.”
Chapter 7: The Wise Teacher’s Plan
The sanyasi’s heart was heavy with worry and sadness. He had grown to care for Chandraka and had hoped so much that the jackal’s transformation was real. But now he knew he had to discover the truth.
“I will test him,” the sanyasi decided. “If he is truly changed, then I will know my worries were unfounded. But if he is deceiving me…”
The next morning, the sanyasi announced his usual trip to the river. “I’m going for my morning bath, dear Chandraka. Please continue your meditation and guard our ashram.”
“Of course, Master!” Chandraka replied cheerfully. “I’ll sit here very quietly and think only good thoughts!”
But instead of going to the river, the sanyasi hid behind a large tree where he could see everything that happened in their clearing.
Soon, a beautiful young deer stepped delicately into the clearing, her large eyes gentle and trusting.
“How peaceful this place feels,” the deer seemed to think as she bent down to drink from a small water bowl left by the devotees.
From his hiding place, the sanyasi watched his student very carefully. At first, Chandraka seemed to be trying to control himself, but then his whole body began to change. His eyes grew wild and hungry, his muscles tensed, and his tail began to twitch with excitement.
“No, no, no!” the sanyasi whispered to himself. “Please don’t do what I think you’re going to do!”
But it was too late. With a savage growl, Chandraka pounced on the innocent deer and began to devour it hungrily, all his pretense of being gentle and reformed completely forgotten.
The sanyasi’s heart broke as he watched. All his hopes for his student’s transformation crumbled like a house of cards.
Chapter 8: The Truth Comes Out
With tears in his eyes, the sanyasi stepped out from behind the tree. “Chandraka,” he said in a voice full of deep sadness, “is this how you practice the non-violence I taught you? Is this your idea of protecting innocent creatures?”
Chandraka froze, a piece of deer meat still in his mouth. He had been caught red-handed, and there was no lie that could save him now.
For a moment, his eyes showed fear and shame. But then, like a mask being torn away, his false humble expression disappeared completely. His eyes blazed with anger and defiance.
“Ha! You foolish old man!” he snarled, his voice now harsh and cruel. “Did you really think a jackal could change his nature? I am what I am—a hunter, a meat-eater, a predator!”
The sanyasi’s heart ached, but he remained calm. “Then why, my child, did you come to me with stories of wanting to change? Why did you lie to me?”
Chandraka laughed bitterly. “For the food, you silly old fool! I wanted all those delicious treats your stupid followers brought you every day! Why should I hunt and struggle when I could live like a king just by pretending to be good?”
“So you never truly wanted to learn about kindness and compassion?” the sanyasi asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
“Learn? From you?” Chandraka sneered. “I was laughing at you the whole time! All your boring talks about being nice to other animals, all your lessons about truth and honesty—what a joke! I’m a jackal, and jackals eat meat! That’s just how nature made me!”
The sanyasi felt as if his heart would break, but he spoke with gentle wisdom. “I am not angry with you for being a jackal, Chandraka. Jackals hunt—that is their nature, and there is no shame in that. But I am deeply, deeply disappointed that you chose to lie and deceive instead of being honest about who you are.”
Chapter 9: The Sad Goodbye
Chandraka realized that his wonderful, easy life was over forever. No more delicious daily feasts, no more comfortable shelter, no more respect from the villagers. For just a moment, he felt a tiny pang of regret.
“Maybe I could have learned something real from the old man,” he thought. “Maybe if I had been honest from the beginning…”
But his pride was too strong to let him admit his mistake. Instead, he snarled even louder. “Keep your disappointment, old man! I’m going back to the forest where I belong. At least there I don’t have to pretend to be something I’m not!”
“Wait, Chandraka,” the sanyasi called softly. “You could stay and try to truly change. It’s not too late to—”
“Never!” Chandraka shouted. “I liked my old life better anyway!”
But even as he said it, his stomach growled loudly, reminding him of all the hungry days and cold nights that awaited him back in the forest.
With his tail between his legs, Chandraka slunk away into the deep forest, leaving the sanyasi sitting sadly under the banyan tree.
As he walked away, Chandraka couldn’t help but think about all the wonderful food he was leaving behind. “Maybe I made a mistake,” he thought. “Maybe I should have tried to be honest…”
But it was too late now. He had burned his bridges with his lies and cruelty.
Chapter 10: The Important Lesson
When the villagers came later that day with their usual offerings, they noticed that the jackal was gone.
“Where is Chandraka, Guruji?” asked the little girl who had been so impressed by the “reformed” jackal.
The sanyasi looked very sad but spoke gently. “He has returned to his true nature, dear child. We learned that he was never really changed at all—he was only pretending to be good to get free food.”
“Oh no!” gasped the villagers. “How could he fool us all?”
“It teaches us an important lesson,” the sanyasi explained. “Real change comes from the heart, not from pretending. If Chandraka had been honest about who he was from the beginning, perhaps we could have helped him truly transform. But because he chose to lie and deceive, he lost everything.”
The little girl thought about this carefully. “So it’s better to be honest about our mistakes than to pretend we’re perfect?”
“Exactly, dear one!” the sanyasi smiled through his sadness. “Everyone makes mistakes, and everyone has parts of themselves they’d like to improve. But we can only get better by being truthful about who we are right now.”
From that day forward, the sanyasi continued teaching, but now he often told the story of Chandraka to help others understand the importance of honesty and genuine change.
Meanwhile, deep in the forest, Chandraka struggled to find food and shelter. Every day was hard work, and he often went to sleep hungry. Sometimes, when he was particularly cold and hungry, he would remember the warm, comfortable life he had given up.
“If only I had been honest from the beginning,” he would think sadly. “If only I had really tried to change instead of just pretending…”
But it was too late for regrets. Chandraka had learned the hard way that lies and deception always lead to loss and loneliness.
The Beautiful Moral
“True change comes from the heart, not from pretending. It’s always better to be honest about who we are than to lie and deceive others. When we’re truthful about our mistakes, others can help us become better. But when we pretend to be perfect, we lose the chance to truly grow and improve.”
This wonderful story teaches us that everyone makes mistakes, and that’s okay! What matters is being honest about our mistakes and truly wanting to become better people. Only with truth and sincerity can we really change and grow.
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