The Jackal and The Arrow - A Panchatantra Story

The Jackal's Greed and the Fatal Tusk

A Fateful Encounter in the Forest

A hunter, deep in his pursuit within a vast forest, felt the pangs of hunger. His patience was soon rewarded when he saw a formidable wild boar emerging from the undergrowth. He quickly nocked an arrow and let it fly. The arrow found its mark, piercing the boar's neck and exiting through its back. However, the boar was not one to fall without a fight. With its last ounce of strength, it lunged at the hunter, goring him with its sharp, deadly tusks. In a tragic twist of fate, both the hunter and his quarry lay dead, side by side.

A Stroke of Unexpected Luck

Not long after, a jackal, whose own stomach was rumbling with hunger, chanced upon the grim scene. His eyes widened at the sight of a man and a large boar lying dead. "What incredible fortune!" he thought to himself, his mind racing. "Here is enough food to last me for many, many days. I am the luckiest jackal alive!" He circled the two bodies, contemplating his bounty and how best to enjoy it.

A Mind Clouded by Greed

Overwhelmed by his good luck, the jackal decided he should not be hasty. "I will eat slowly," he reasoned, "so that this feast can last as long as possible." His eyes darted between the hunter and the boar, debating which to taste first. The thought of having so much food at his disposal filled him with an overwhelming sense of greed. He wanted to savor every last bit.

A Fatal Decision

Instead of starting with the plentiful flesh of either the man or the boar, the jackal had what he thought was a clever idea. "I shall start with a small appetizer," he decided. He noticed the blood and tiny morsels of flesh clinging to the sharp, protruding tusks of the dead boar. In an act of extreme avarice, wanting to save the main course for later, he decided to lick the tusks clean first.

He approached the boar and put the pointed tip of the tusk into his mouth. In that instant, his greed cost him his life. The sharp tusk pierced through his jaw and drove straight into his head. The jackal died instantly, falling beside the very feast he was so eager to preserve.

Moral: Excessive greed leads to one's own destruction.
Avarice clouds judgment and can lead to a fatal end.