Panchatantra Book 1 - 026 - How Jirnadhana Reclaimed His Iron Scale From a Dishonest Merchant

Table of Contents

• 1. Recap
• 2. The rats that ate an iron scale
• 3. Analysis
  • 3.1 Some points from this post.
  • 3.2 Characters and Behaviour

Recap

A snake ate the newborn chicks of the herons, leaving them desperate for a solution. A vengeful crab advised a heron to lay a trail of fish from a nearby mongoose den straight to the snake's hollow. Following the plan, the mongooses tracked the trail and eliminated the snake, but they then turned on the herons and wiped out their colony. Karataka shared this account with Damanaka to demonstrate how selfish schemes backfire when one fails to consider the broader consequences, before introducing the next tale about how rats ate an iron-scale and how a hawk flew away with a child.

The rats that ate an iron scale

In a town, far away lived a merchant. His son had inherited his father’s skills and had set out to trade. Unfortunately, he had suffered big losses and had lost all his wealth. He was in a miserable state and people referred to him as Jirnadhana. Sick of the taunts of the people, he decided to go to a different land and try his luck. There was a time when these very same people used to respect him and bow to him, and today they were calling him names. As he had no money, he needed some capital before he could go elsewhere to trade. The only thing worthwhile that he owned was a heavy iron balance scale. This was old, intricately carved and heavy – it weighed close to a thousand units. It had been in his family for generations, and not having anything else, with a heavy heart he decided he would have to borrow money against the scale. He went and spoke to a merchant whom he considered a friend. He pawned the scale and borrowed money from the merchant and set off for a different land to earn money.

He travelled in many lands and made a lot of money. He wanted to get his scale back so he went to the merchant and asked for the scale. The merchant said he was sorry but right after he had received the scale, rats had eaten it.
Hearing that, Jirnadhana said, ‘I understand. Nothing in this world is permanent. So, losses and gains are part of life. Then again, the nature of things has changed. Even rats and mice have developed a taste for iron. It can happen.’ The merchant was pleased to hear this. Jirnadhana was friendly with the merchant and got to know his family. One day he said, ‘My friend, I need your help. I am going to the river to have a bath. I would need some help. Could you please send your youngest son, Devdutta, with me? I will need his help to carry my things. I will pay a token amount for that, when I return.’ The merchant agreed and sent his son with Jirnadhana. After his bath, he took the boy with him and said he would show him a cave near the river. The little boy was curious. Jirnadhana took the boy to a cave in a mountain near the river and asked him to go inside. As soon as the boy went in, Jirnadhana blocked the mouth with a large boulder. After that, he decided to go home. On the way, he passed the merchant who asked where his son was. To that, Jirnadhana said, ‘I was coming back from my bath when an eagle jumped from the sky, snatched your son and took him away. I tried to stop the bird but it was useless.’

The merchant called Jirnadhana a liar and took him to court. In front of the judge, the merchant said Jirnadhana had kidnapped his son. When the judge asked Jirnadhana what had happened, he said an eagle had carried the boy away. The judge asked how that was possible. To that, Jirnadhana said if rats could eat a large iron scale weighing a thousand units, then why was it impossible for an eagle to carry away a boy?

The judges then ordered the merchant to return the scale, and in return, Jirnadhana was to return the boy.

Ending the story, Karataka said, ‘This is why I say that dishonest schemes always backfire. It is like saying rats ate an iron scale. You were jealous of Sanjeevaka and did all this. Your intentions were good, but you ended causing harm. The lion and the bull are still fighting each other. It is better to have a wise enemy than have a foolish friend. A king suffered because of a monkey and a thief saved the scholars.’

When Damanaka wanted to know about this, Karataka started sharing that story.

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Analysis

That story I will leave for the next Panchatantra post.

Some points from this post.

• Answer deceit with equal and opposite deceit - if someone gives an absurd excuse to cheat you, you may use an equally absurd excuse to reclaim your due.
• Well-intentioned schemes that ignore consequences can still cause harm.

Characters and Behaviour

Character	Action	Representation	Modern Parallel	Name Meaning
Jirnadhana	Pawns his family balance scale due to financial loss	Resourcefulness, resilience, and strategic tit-for-tat justice under legal/social constraints.	An entrepreneur reclaiming assets from a bad-faith partner using clever leverage.	Jīrṇadhana means "one whose wealth has been lost".
The Merchant	Lies about rats eating an iron scale to keep it.	Greed, breach of trust.	A fraudulent custodian or business partner refusing to honour a contract.	No name
Devdutta	Follows Jirnadhana to the river out of curiosity; gets locked in a cave.	Naïvety, innocence, and vulnerability to being used as strategic leverage.	A bystander caught in a conflict between business associates.	Devadatta means "given by God" or "God-given".

This is all that is to share about this tale.

I will share the next tale in the next post, about a king who had a monkey as his bodyguard.

Before I end this, a question - Has anyone ever fed you a "rats-ate-the-scale" excuse - and did you have the wit (eagle) to send it right back at them?