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Panchatantra Book 1 - 005 - How Damanaka Used Flattery to Unite the Lion and the Bull

Table of Contents

Recap

Damanaka tells Pingalaka the story of the jackal—who overcame his fear of a war drum only to find it empty—to persuade Pingalaka not to be frightened by unfamiliar noises. Offering to investigate the mysterious sound on the lion's behalf, Damanaka uses the opportunity to demonstrate his loyalty and secure his place at court. Upon reaching the riverbank, Damanaka discovers that the scary noise comes from Sanjeevaka, a harmless bull, and realizes this situation provides the leverage to control both the bull and the king. Returning alone, Damanaka flatters Pingalaka's royal ego, assuring him he can manage the beast and securing a promise to be appointed prime minister.

Damanaka’s Diplomacy

Damanaka Confronts Sanjeevaka

Damanaka immediately took leave of the lion and went to the place where he had seen Sanjeevaka. This time he went and stood in front of the bull. Sanjeevaka had just finished grazing and was chewing cud, when he saw this creature come from nowhere and approach him. He was taken aback. Who was this? Before he could say anything, Damanaka said, ‘Another day, I would have greeted you, but today, I am in a bad mood. You are a foolish bull and your bellowing has scared Pingalaka. Come with me. He wants to meet you.’

Sanjeevaka had been in the forest for some days and till date he had not heard this name mentioned.

Sanjeevaka was curious and asked, ‘Who is Pingalaka?’

Damanaka said, ‘Have you fallen from the sky? You do not know Pingalaka? Come with me. I shall show you Pingalaka.’

Saying this, Damanaka asked Sanjeevaka to follow him. They went to the river bank and there Damanaka asked the bull to look in the direction he was pointing at. Sanjeevaka saw the lion sitting under a tree, with other animals like tigers, leopards and wolves sitting around him.

Sanjeevaka’s Apprehension

Seeing a lion, Sanjeevaka got scared. He came away from that place, back to where he had been standing. He then looked at Damanaka and said, ‘Dear sir, you appear to be noble. You also talk eloquently. If you have to take me with you, just ensure that I will not come to any harm. You have to guarantee my safety.’

Damanaka said, ‘What you have asked for is fair. Then again, it is very difficult to predict a king’s mood. So here is what I plan to do. You stay here. I shall go to Pingalaka and see what his mood is like. I shall talk to him and tell him about you. If all goes well, I shall then come and bring you along.’

Sanjeevaka felt relieved. He sat down at that spot. Leaving him there, Damanaka left the place quickly and ran to the place where he had left Pingalaka.

He reached the place and asked to meet Pingalaka in private. Audience was granted. Damanaka went to Pingalaka and said, ‘Master, I went to the creature and spoke to him. He is a bullock but not an ordinary one. He is none other than Shiva’s vehicle. The great Shiva himself has placed him in that spot and he roams there fearlessly.’

Pingalaka felt relieved and said to Damanaka, ‘I can totally understand that. Else, how could an ordinary bullock’s sound scare me? Also, without the blessings of Shiva, how could a bullock roam around freely, not fearing anyone? Tell me what you said to him, when he told you he was Shiva’s bullock.’

Damanaka said, ‘I told him about you. I said you were the owner of this forest. I also told him that you were the vehicle of none other than goddess Chandika. On your behalf I told him he was welcome to stay in the forest. I also told him that a vehicle of Shiva and a vehicle of goddess Chandika should live in peace and should be friends. He agreed to these terms and said he would happily live here, provided you spared his life. I have told you all that I have told him and now it is all up to you. How should this case be handled?’

Pingalaka Grants Safety

Pingalaka got up and embraced Damanaka and said, ‘You have told the bull exactly what I would have told him. Go to the bull. Tell him he has nothing to fear from me. Also tell him he should not try to kill me. I would like to meet him. Go and bring him to me. I am not sure what would have happened if you were not there. Your presence here is like one of the pillars that is needed to keep a house steady. A true test of a minister comes during a crisis. On good days, everyone can act wise. Go fast. I am eager to meet this bull.’

Damanaka took leave and walked towards the place where he had left Sanjeevaka. On the way he was thinking to himself, ‘I am very lucky. I have managed to please the lion and get into his good books. He is acting on my advice. A king’s grace matters a lot in life.’

He soon reached Sanjeevaka. The bull was sitting down. Seeing Damanaka he got up. Damanaka went up to him and said, ‘I have spoken to the lion. I told him all about you and he has agreed to spare your life. So, you have nothing to fear. Come along with me.’

A Warning

Sanjeevaka and Damanaka started walking slowly. On the way, Damanaka said to the bull, ‘You shall meet the lion and you will be given a position in his court. Whatever you do, do not become arrogant towards me. I shall consult you and take your advice. Both of us will be happy in the lion’s court. Power and wealth can be achieved through cooperation. If one becomes arrogant and fails to show respect to anyone, irrespective of the status of the person, one shall have to suffer like Dantila did.’

Sanjeevaka wanted to know what happened to Dantila, and while walking slowly towards Pingalaka’s court, Damanaka began telling that story.

While Sanjeevaka listens to this story, let me go through what happens in this tale. I shall share the tale of Dantila in the next post.

Beyond the Surface: The Art of Information Control

This story belongs to the first book of the Panchatantra, called Mitrabheda. This is the longest book of Panchatantra and its theme is - how friendships break through manipulation, misplaced trust and unchecked ambition. When Damanaka talks to the bull and the lion, they think that Damanaka is acting in their interests, not realizing that all this is being done by Damanaka to serve his own purpose only.

Key Takeaways

  • Pingalaka’s fear was never the fear of the bull; it was the fear of the unknown.
  • Once the angle of Nandi comes in, fear changes to reverence.
  • How much of what we believe is actually verified truth, and how much is simply the most recent story told to us by someone we trust?
  • Notice one thing – Damanaka is not exactly lying to the parties. He is framing things differently, flattering and omitting parts.

Let me mention the Puranic references that are present here in the text.

Damanaka tells Pingalaka that Sanjeevaka is "none other than Shiva's vehicle," a reference to Nandi, the bull who serves Shiva. As soon as Pingalaka hears this, the perception of a stray, potentially threatening animal changes and it turns into that of a sacred and protected animal.

In the same conversation, Damanaka tells Pingalaka that he himself is described as the vehicle of "goddess Chandika" — a form of goddess Durga, whose mount is the lion. By pairing these two, Damanaka constructs a symbolic parity between the lion and the bull ("a vehicle of Shiva and a vehicle of goddess Chandika should live in peace and should be friends"), making the alliance sound and appropriate.

In a modern setup

If Damanaka, Pingalaka and Sanjeevaka were rewritten as human characters, the scene would probably appear as a corporate drama: an ambitious adviser engineering a meeting between an anxious but image-conscious boss and a talented outside recruit, using flattering credentials to make the new hire's arrival feel pre-validated. Using animals instead of humans allows the Panchatantra to make the manipulation more visible and less personally uncomfortable.

Looking Ahead to Dantila

This is where I end this post. The next post will be the post of Dantila, who lost the favour of the king and how he regained that.

Before I leave, one question. In your own professional or personal relationships, is there someone who currently controls most of the information passing between you and another important party — and have you ever verified, independently, whether their version of that other side is complete?

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