The Donkey and the Washerman

Panchtantra Stories

There was a washerman named Suddhapata in a small village, who had a donkey. The donkey was very weak because he did not feed the animal enough. One day, while collecting wood in the forest, the washerman chanced upon a dead tiger. Suddhapata happily thought, "It is my lucky day. I will skin the tiger and cover my donkey with the skin. That way, it will be able to graze into wheat farms where people will keep away from him thinking he was a tiger. This way my donkey will have enogh food." He acted on his plan and the donkey would go to the wheat farm every evening, have his day’s fill and return to his master’s house in the morning. This went on for sometime. The donkey became so strong and sturdy that it became difficult for the washer man to pull him to the peg and tie him to it.  One day, when he was happily grazing at the wheat farm, the donkey heard the voice of a female donkey and began to respond to it in ecstasy. Then the watchman and others at the farm at once recognised him as a donkey in a tiger skin and killed him.  Raktamukha then addressed the croc and told him, "You have seen how the donkey met his end because he opened his mouth where he should not. Now, will you leave me or do you want to meet with the same fate as Syamalaka?"  "No, please. I want to know the story of Syamalaka," said Karalamukha, the croc. Raktamukha told him the following story.  A very wealthy merchant named Eswara lived in a city called Vikantakapuram. One day, his four sons-in-law arrived from Ujjain with their families to enjoy the hospitality of their father-in-law. Eswara did everything to make them happy and contented. Six months passed but the sons-in-law did not show any sign of leaving for Ujjain. Eswara was angry but could not directly tell his sons-in-law that they had overstayed. One day, the father-in-law told his wife, "These guys are enjoying their stay here and are reluctant to leave. I am sure they will not leave unless we offend them in some way. Tomorrow, when they come for dinner, don’t offer them water to wash their feet. They will regard this as an insult and will certainly leave."  Eswara’s wife did, as her husband wanted her to do.  The first son-in-law was offended because water was not ready for him to wash his feet and left in a huff.  The second son-in-law was not happy with the place assigned to him at the table and left ranting.  The third complained about the quality of food and packed his bags.  Syamalaka, the fourth son-in-law, however, did not mind these insults and stayed on. The father-in-law had, therefore, to throw him out of his house by force.  "I have seen how wicked you are and I am not a fool to still trust you like the carpenter," said Raktamukha. At once Karalamukha insisted on hearing that story.