There was once a jackal named Chandaraka, who lived in a cave near the suburbs of a city. One day he was hunting for food and wandered into the city after nightfall. There the city dogs snapped at his limbs with their sharp-pointed teeth, and terrified him with their dreadful barking, so that he stumbled this way and that in his efforts to escape and slipped into the house of a dyer. There he tumbled into a tremendous indigo vat, and all the dogs went home.
Finally the jackal managed to crawl out of the indigo vat and escaped into the forest. There all the thronging animals in his vicinity caught a glimpse of his body dyed in blue, and said: “What is this creature enriched with that unprecedented colour?” they fled, their eyes dancing with terror, and spread the report: “Oh, oh! Here is an exotic creature that has dropped from somewhere. Nobody knows what his conduct might be, or his energy hence it is not wise to trust him. We are going to flee hurriedly.”
Now Chandaraka perceived their dismay, and called to them: “Come, come, you wild things! Why do you flee in terror at sight of me? For Indra, realizing that the forest creatures have no monarch, anointed me as your king. Rest in safety within my shelter.”
On hearing this, the lions, tigers, leopards, monkeys, rabbits, gazelles, jackals, and other species of wild life bowed humbly, saying: “Master, prescribe to us our duties.” Thereupon he appointed the lion his prime minister and the tiger as his chamberlain, while the leopard was made custodian of the king’s food, the elephant doorkeeper, and the monkey the bearer of the royal parasol. But to all the jackals, his own kind, he ordered their hands cuffed and drove them away. Thus he enjoyed the kingly glory, while lions and others killed food-animals and laid them before him. These he divided and distributed to all like the kings do.
While time passed in this fashion, he was sitting one day in his court when he heard the sound made by a pack of jackals howling nearby. At this his body thrilled, his eyes filled with tears of joy, he leaped to his feet, and began to howl in a piercing tone. When the lions and others heard this, they perceived that he was only a jackal, and stood for a moment shamefaced and downcast, then they said: “Look! We have been deceived by this jackal. Let the fellow be killed.” And when he heard this, he tried to flee, but was torn to bits by a tiger.
