PT2-04-CatGetsEagleKilled
Panchatantra Stories  
பஞ்சதந்திரம் pañca-tantiram , n. pañcan +. The Tamil version of Pañca-tantra consisting of five books, viz., mittira-pētam, cukirl- lāpam, canti-vikkirakam, artta-nācam, acampirēṭciya-kārittuvam; மித்திரபேதம், சுகிர்ல்லாபம், சந்திவிக்கிரகம், அர்த்தநாசம், அசம்பிரேட்சியகாரித்து வம் என ஐம்பகுதியுடையதாய்த் தமிழில் மொழிபெயர்க் கப்பட்ட நூல்.
1. மித்திரபேதம் = mittira-pētam = Sowing discord among friends.
2. சுகிர்ல்லாபம் = cukir-l-lāpam = the acquisition of friends.
3. சந்திவிக்கிரகம் canti-vikkirakam  = Associating with a foe with a view to ruin him.
4. அர்த்தநாசம் artta-nācam  = Loss of wealth.
5. அசம்பிரேட்சியகாரித்துவம் a-campirēṭciya-kārittuvam , n. a-sam-prēkṣya-kāri-tva. Action without forethought.
Inspiration: N.Natchiyappan
1.  Trikuta mountain was adjacent to the Ganges River, beyond which there grew a White Fig tree. An old eagle lived in the fig tree hole. The eagle was blind with worn-out talons. Out of compassion, all other birds in the forest brought meager bits of meat to the eagle in the tree hole and kept it alive.

2. One day, a feral cat came to the neighborhood with an intent to dine on the fledglings of forest birds, which were upset to think the cat came there to eat the blind kite. The feline scolded the fledglings for chirping in fear.

3. With treachery in the heart and fear for its life, the cat stood before the eagle and greeted the eagle, ̎Ayyā, Greetings. ̎

4. The kite asked, ̎Who are you? ̎
The cat: ̎I am a cat. ̎
The kite: ̎ Run for your life right away. Otherwise, you will lose your life. ̎

5. The cat: ̎Ayyā eagle! Listen to my story first. Later, you may get angry with me. Killing animals because they belong to a different family (species) is wrong. It is not justice to have different rules of hospitality for other species. Based on the conduct of everyone, one should act. ̎

6. The kite: ̎Tell me now why you came to me. ̎
The cat: ̎ I live on the riverbank and perform cāndrāyaṇa (Expiatory fast) after daily immersion in the Ganges River. I heard you are a virtuous and sinless soul. Therefore, I came here to offer my homage to you. The Dharma Sastra scholars say that one’s duty is to obtain spiritual solace from a mature and old spiritual savant. You had the mind to kill me, though I came for spiritual advice. Is it proper? Even the enemies help a fellow being. The tree offers shade even to a logger. The moon gives light to an evil man. The great men provide help to any newcomer. When a famished guest goes out of the host’s house hungry, he leaves all his sins to the host and takes all the merits from the host. ̎

7. The old eagle: ̎Is it not your custom to eat meat and kill for it? ̎

8. The cat: ̎Siva, Siva. You are evil. Killing is one of the five despicable sins. The killers go to the cruelest hells. Being a pundit of ethical works of literature, I gave up the evil of killing to sustain my body. Do you think a fruitarian like me engages in doing sinful acts? ̎ The cat spoke high of itself.

9. The eagle finally believed the cat and allowed the cat to live with him. Unaware of the eagle, the cat ate the fledglings. The birds looked for their sons and daughters. Knowing their desperate search for the youngster, the cat ran away.

10. The birds searching for the fledglings saw the delicate white bones and feathers below the tree hole. The birds thought that the eagle ate their babies and became angry at the eagle. All the birds joined, pecked, and poked the defenseless blind eagle and killed it.

11. The lesson here is that one should not give a place to anyone without knowing the character and conduct. Giving refuge to a natural killer may get you killed.