Loss Of friend

The jackal and the drum

Once a hungry Jackal set out in search of food and reached an abandoned battlefield, where he heard loud and strange sounds. ‘This is scary,' he thought. ‘I must disappear from here before the man who is making these sounds kills me!' After a while, he said to himself, ‘but I must not ran away in fear. Let me go and find out what these sounds are and who is making them. Whether one feel extreme fear or happiness, one must always understand its cause. Such a person, who faces the source of his fair and happiness, will never reject his actions. So, let me first look for the source of this sounds.'

Warily, the Jackal went in the direction of the sounds. As he reached the spot from where the sounds were coming, he found a drum hanging from a tree. He understand that, whenever the branches of the tree above the drum hit against it, a loud sound was heard. Relieved that it was a mere drum, the Jackal begin playing with it. then he thought that there could be food inside. so he tour open the drum. But he was disappointed to find no food inside. Yet he consoled himself saying that at least he had rid himself of the fear of the sound.

‘Therefore,’ Damanaka said to the king pingalaka, ‘your majesty should not be afraid of sounds. Let us go and see for ourselves who or what made the noise that frightened you.'

the king agreed. Thus, both of them went in the direction of the sounds.

On the way, the king wondered about Damanaka's real intentions.

He thought, ‘Damanaka may have a grudge against me for dismissing him once. such cunning people seek revenge. I should not have told him about my fear of the sound. But now, let me keep an eye on him. Wise man have always believed that it is difficult to kill a week man who does not easily trust others.' Then on, the king became more careful of Damanaka's action. Damanaka moved slowly towards the place where the sounds came from. when he reached the spot, he found that it was only a bullock.

He thought,‘This is a good omen. This will help me get back into the good books of the king. Kings never follow the advice of their ministers unless they are in paril or grief. just as a healthy man never thinks of a doctor, a strong and secure King also never realizes the need for minister.'

Damanaka returned to the king and told him what he saw.

‘Is it true?' the king asked.

‘For me, my king is my God. The man who lies to himself perish. the king alone has the power to grant favours.'

‘I believe you. Great men do not harm weak people. they fight with their equals. That's what is unique about brave people.’

‘what your majesty says is true. sanjeevaka, too, seems to be a great creature. if you were lordship permits, I will persuade him to be your servant.'

‘All right, you may. Also, I am taking you back as a minister,'set the king, pleased.

Damanaka at once hurried back to Sanjeevaka. he requested the bullock to stop bellowing and come and meet King Pingalaka. but the Bullock want to know who pingalaka was.

'What? Do not you know our lord? Now you will have to pay the price for being so ignorant. There he is, lying in the shade of The Banyan tree surrounded by his attendants.'

Sanjeevaka was scared when he heard about this king. he thought that the king would certainly kill him and, thus, pleaded with Damanaka, ‘sir, you seem to be a man of great wisdom. I am certain that you alone can save me. I will come with you, only if you assure me that no harm will come to me.’

Damanaka assured the Bullock that all will be well, but he should wait for a right time to meet the king. returning to the king, Damanaka said, ‘my lord, he is not an ordinary creature. He is a special animal that lord Shiva uses as his vehicle. he told me that lord Shiva has permitted him to feed on the tender grass in the neighbourhood of the river. but I told him that the forest belongs to our king, the lion, who is used as a vehicle by goddess Chandika. I also told him that he is our guest. Thus, he could meet our king and seek a separate space to graze. he has agreed to this plan, provided he has an assurance of his safety from your majesty.'

‘Yes, certainly. but I will need assurance from him that he will not attacked me in return. bring him here!' the king ordered damanaka. Damanaka went back to the Bullock and advised him, ‘you have the assurance of the king. But this new position should not go to your head. we have to work together. That's how we can prosper. otherwise, hi who does not respect everyone, however high or low, will forfeit the favour of kings, like what happened with the trader.'

‘Which trader? tell me about him,’ Said sanjeevaka.