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Panchatantra Book 1 - 016 - Why the Camel Offered Himself to the Injured Lion

Table of Contents

Recap

Chandaraka, a jackal, enters a village looking for food but is chased by dogs. He hides in a washerman’s drum of indigo dye and comes out blue. In the forest, claims that Brahma created him as the new king, and the frightened animals believe him. He enjoys his new position until the sound of other jackals makes him howl, revealing his true identity. The animals realise the deception and kill him. Damanaka then uses the story to influence Pingalaka, warning him that Sanjeevaka intends to attack him. He separately tells Sanjeevaka that Pingalaka plans to kill him. Both become suspicious of each other, while Damanaka controls the information passing between them. Sanjeevaka, however, recognises the danger posed by scheming courtiers and begins telling Damanaka a story about a camel.

The Story of Madotkata and Krathanaka

In a forest lived a strong lion called Madotkata. He was an expert killer and was the king there. Such was his aura that other animals wanted to hang around him. This helped the other animals get a share of the left-overs when Madotkata was done with his meal. Among the animals that hung around him, there were three who were regulars – a crow, a jackal and a leopard. Wherever the lion went, these three followed him.

One day when Madotkata was sitting under a tree, resting, a strange animal came and stood there. The lion was surprised. What was this creature? He had never seen anything like this before. The animal seemed confused and was roaming around, not sure what to do. The lion asked his followers if they knew what this animal was. The crow said, ‘Sir, this is called a camel. It stays with humans. It must have lost his way and that is why it is here. I have heard its meat is delicious. You can kill it and try its meat.’

Madotkata said, ‘Why should I kill it? This camel has not done anything that deserves killing. He has lost his way and come here. He is guest and I do not kill guests. Go to the camel. Give it an assurance that it will not be harmed, and then bring it to me. I want to talk to him.’

The followers went to the camel and told it what the lion had said., The camel went with them and stood in front of the lion. The lion wanted to know about the camel and it said, ‘I am Krathanaka. I was part of a human caravan. We had taken a break and I must have wandered off. When I went back to the spot, the caravan had left. Having lost my way, I have been roaming around in this forest.’

Hearing this Madotkata asked the camel to stay there. He said, ‘You do not have to go back to the humans and carry their load. Stay here. Be free. I have heard you are a grass eater. There is a lot of grass here. Feast on the grass and enjoy your life here’

Krathanaka agreed. As days passed, he lost his fear of the animals. Thinking he was safe, he began moving around, following the other followers. Wherever the lion went, these four animals went.

One day an elephant entered the forest. The lion attacked the elephant and a fight started. The elephant left the forest, but Madotkata was injured. The elephant had used its tusks to great effect. The injuries were severe but not fatal, and Madotkata had survived the fight. Unfortunately, he was unable to move. He had been advised complete bed rest till his injuries healed. As he was unable to move, he could not hunt. This meant no food for the followers. This naturally did not bother the camel who had plenty of plants to feast on.

The three followers – the crow the leopard and the jackal – were hungry. It had been some time since they had a proper meal. Seeing their condition, the lion told them, ‘I am sad to see your condition. Unfortunately, I cannot run into the forest and kill an animal. Here is what you can do; find an animal and bring it to me. I shall kill that and we can fill our stomachs.’

The camel went with the three followers to see if an animal could be arranged but luck was not with them. The jackal took the crow aside and said, ‘I do not understand why we have to hunt for an animal when we have one in hand. The camel is here. Let us kill him. We can stay alive that way.’

The crow said, ‘Look, I know what you are saying. You need to remember that the king has granted protection to the camel. So, we cannot kill it.’

The jackal said, ‘Leave that to me. I shall talk to the lion and I will make the lion kill the camel.’ Saying this, the jackal went to the lion and said, ‘We have searched the whole forest. We are all hungry and need food. More than us, you need food. If you say, all of us can fast on the camel.’

The lion hearing this tried to sit up. No, it was very painful. Even though he was hungry himself, he said, ‘How could you even think of such a thing? Never ever say anything like this. The camel is my guest.’

The jackal said, ‘Sir, please listen to me. If you kill the camel, that will be wrong. He is your guest. What if the camel offers himself to you? You could kill him then and that will be fine. If you do not, then unfortunately, you yourself will die. What is the use of our lives, if we cannot put it to good use? If you are no more, we will have no option but to jump into your funeral pyre and kill ourselves. The head of a family must be protected at any cost.’

Hearing this, the lion said, ‘If you think this is correct, go ahead.’

The jackal went where the other followers were. He said to them, ‘I went and spoke to the lion. He is serious and he needs food. We have been scouting the forest but have been unsuccessful. I suggest we go and offer ourselves to him. He can then kill us and satisfy his hunger and live. We will be called sinners if we do not do anything and the lion dies.’

The animals went to the lion. One by one they began offering themselves, starting with the crow. The crow said, ‘Sir, eat me so you can survive. If you do so, you will live and I will attain heaven for having sacrificed myself to you.’

Hearing this, the jackal said to the crow, ‘Move away. You are too small and the lion will not be able to satisfy his hunger. You have shown your loyalty and you will be rewarded for this in your next life. Step aside so I can offer myself to the king.’

He then said to the lion, ‘Kill me. You can live and I shall attain heaven. Our lives depend on you. There is no fault if you thereby kill and eat one of us.’

The leopard stepped in and said, ‘Step aside. You are also small and not suitable for the master. Let me offer myself. You have claws and it is said animals with claws should not be eaten. Even if the lion is dying, he should not consume what is forbidden. You are noble and that is why you have a place near the king. Let me offer myself and let the king eat me and live.’

Krathanaka was wondering what was going on. The three had said such wonderful words and still the king had not touched them. He decided to try it himself. He was confident that the others would stop him, like they had stopped the others. He stepped up and said, “I do not have claws. Even the leopard has claws and he should not be touched. To preserve the life of the king, I offer myself.’

As soon as he said these words, the jackal and the leopard jumped on him and killed him. The lion had his meal and began to feel well.

Ending his story, Sanjeevaka said, ‘There are many who lurk near the king and say great words, but they are inherently lethal. Your king is surrounded by a petty group of followers. Such a king should not be served by good people. How can a swan live with a vulture? Surely someone has turned the king against me. Water is soft, but over time it can wear down rocks. Similarly, repeated words can influence a person. Such a person is a fool, and he will believe anything that is said. A snake is better than this - a real snake bites its victim, but a slanderer says something to one person and destroys a completely different person. What do you think I should do, Damanaka?’

Damanaka thought for a while and said, ‘Why don’t you leave this land and go somewhere else? It is proper to abandon a person who cannot distinguish between right and wrong.’

Hearing this Sanjeevaka said, ‘This will not help. Running away will not provide safety. A king who is powerful will have spies everywhere and will be able to track down people anywhere. I feel facing Pingalaka in direct combat is the best option left. A fight to death will be something honourable and I shall get spiritual reward for that.’

Damanaka had not expected this and he was now worried. Sanjeevaka could kill or even gravely injure Pingalaka. He wanted Sanjeevaka to leave the place. He decided to convince the bull and said, ‘My friend, what you say is reasonable. But how can there be a fight between a master and his servant? Anyone who begins a conflict without first knowing the strength of his enemy suffers defeat, just as the ocean did at the hands of the tiny lapwing.’

Sanjeevaka wanted to know about this and Damanaka began telling the story.

Before I tell that story a look at this story.

Analysis

What is happening here

  • By creating an artificial sequence, the conspirators forced the camel into a trap, where refusing to offer himself meant social ostracization.
  • Using a staged act to exploit a naive person's social obligation, driving them to voluntary self-destruction.

Character Analysis

Madotkata (the Lion King) Detail
His choice His choice is not action but agreeing "if you think this is correct, go ahead" without policing how that permission would be obtained. This is exploited fully by the jackal.
Who he is A leader who sets a correct policy but fails to supervise how others interpret and execute around that policy.
Name
  • Meaning: "mada" high spirit; "utkata" = excessive. Together: high-spirited one. A name denoting raw physical majesty and dominance. The name means pride and excess, but the character behaves with hospitality and moral scruple.
Krathanaka (the Camel) Detail
His choice He copies a gesture without understanding the social code.
Who is he A trusting outsider in any group who takes norms at face value, not realising that insiders operate on unspoken rules. They end being “used" by a group.
Name Derived from Krath (to slaughter, destroy, injure) or Krathana (suffering, agony).

Name — Krathanaka

  • Note on etymology: Unlike Karataka and Damanaka (whose meanings are well documented — see Section 9), a firmly attested Sanskrit etymology for "Krathanaka" is not established in standard reference sources, and this response does not claim one with false certainty. The name appears to be a proper noun coined for this specific fable's camel character rather than a widely used common word.
  • Functional reading: Regardless of philological origin, the name functions narratively as an "outsider name" — distinctly non-jungle, marking him immediately as not native to this ecosystem of court intrigue.
The unnamed Jackal Detail
What he does He is the architect of the entire tragedy: he first tries direct persuasion and when that fails, he puts it as “let the camel volunteer."
Who is he The manipulator / political fixer who never breaks rules outright but finds the loophole in the rule.


The next post will start a long story of the titibha (lapwing) birds and the ocean.

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