Song from
Donkey and the Jackal
There was a donkey named Uddhata living
in a village, carrying clothes and other burdens for his master. At night
when there was no work, he used to trespass into farms outside the village
and would come home at dawn for fear of assault by farm owners. One day
Uddhata happened to meet a jackal in a farm outside the village and both
soon became friends.
Every night they would go together to the
cucumber farms and sumptuously feed on cucumber. At dawn, they would go home
after they had their fill. One day, in a happy mood, the donkey told the
jackal, “My son, look, how pleasantly serene the night is. It inspires me to
sing. Tell me what raaga would you like me to begin with?”
The jackal said, “Uncle, why do you
unnecessarily invite a peril? We have come here to stealthily rampage
cucumber crop. Pimps and thieves must always observe silence. Haven’t the
learned said:
“He who
cannot control cough
Or cannot keep sleep at bay
Or cannot resist good food
Should not burgle a house.”
“Your music has no melody. One can hear
it like a trumpet from a mile. The watchmen here are asleep. If your music
wakes them, they will either impound us or kill us. So, give up that bright
idea and let us eat these sweet cucumbers.”
“You stupid child, you live in the
wilderness. That’s why you don’t know to enjoy music. It is only the very
lucky people who are destined to listen to music sung in moonlight,” said
Uddhata.
The jackal replied, “True. But you do not
know what is music. You know only to bray loudly. So, please give up your
foolish idea.”
The donkey was angry and retorted, “You
are an idiot to say that I don’t know music. Sage Bharata was the author of
music, which is regarded as the fifth Veda with hundred and eighty-five
notational patterns. To Gods, nothing is dearer than music. It is through
music that Ravana won favours from Lord Shiva. “
The jackal said, “All right uncle, let me
first get out of this farm and keep a watch outside to alert you if anyone
comes this way. You can then leisurely sing to your heart’s content.” The
jackal then left the scene quietly.
The moment the donkey began singing, one
of the watchmen woke up and struck it with a stick till he dropped to the
ground. The watchman then brought an old millstone and hung it to the
donkey’s neck. The donkey soon recovered from the blows the watchman
showered on him and managed to run with the millstone around his neck.
The jackal saw his plight and said, “You
haven’t paid heed to my advice. See how you have got a millstone around your
neck.”
Moral:
He who has no wits of his own or does not heed advice of friends Perishes. |