Culture is imperfect. Humans are imperfect. Life is
imperfect.
I am Manu – the first human. Let me explain what I mean. Matsya nyaya is the law of the jungle
where the mighty rule. Dharma is the idealistic
belief of creating a secure world where prey and predator can live in harmony.
Humans are the only creatures that do not have to follow matsya nyaya and can interfere
with nature by following dharma and using empathy and compassion. However, this
is where imperfection lies. A perfect world determined by humans does not exist
because everyone still follows the law of karma – every action as a reaction
whether it may be good or bad.
I can 100% guarantee that you are a human being, meaning I
am your great great great great…. etc. grandfather. Hi, great great great great…
etc. grandson or granddaughter. Nice to meet you! Let me tell you about the
story of King Shibi.
***
King Shibi rescued a
dove from being eaten from a hawk, leaving the hawk furious.
“I am starved, and you
have taken my dinner. What do you expect of me to eat now?!” asked the hawk.
While holding the
rescued dove, the king replied, “Another dove, perhaps?”
“How do you expect to
save one dove but sacrifice another?”
“Well, fine. Eat a rat
or a serpent instead then if you prefer!”
“Now, why should they
die for the life of a simple dove? What fairness is there in that?”
The king could not
answer.
***
I bet that when you read that King Shibi (another descendent
of mine) rescued a dove, you felt compassion and empathy for a poor, weak,
defenseless creature. This is your dharma ideals that have been implanted in
your head. You try to break the rules of the jungle law, interfering with
nature to try to help weaker animals from mightier ones. In reality, because
Shibi saved the dove, he was unfair to the hawk and attempted to throw any
other animal under the bus in order to save this one dove. Right or wrong
depends on your perspective. Essentially, nothing is fair. Nothing is perfect. The
world moves on.
The moral of my story is this: Although everything is
imperfect, humanity has the power to even the playing field and create a better
world. The matsya nyaya may rule many, but dharma has a strong power and it is
your responsibility to use it. I can’t tell you what is fair or unfair. That is
for you to judge. Whether you think the hawk is right or Shibi was is
completely up to you. Humans are the masters of this universe, but just
remember – if you have a growing fish in a bowl, give him a bigger bowl, but do
not underestimate his ability to care for himself without your interference.
Now go about the world, my descendent, and do good. Make me
and the rest of your humankind proud. Pass on my lesson to your own descendants.
Now, how’s that for great grandfatherly advice?
 |
| King Shibi, the Hawk, and the Dove |
Author's Note: I was inspired to write this when I read about the tale of King Shibi. I thought it was an interesting perspective to see that by saving the dove, you are cruelly punishing the hawk. Thinking about it in human terms, you're taking away food from a starving man in order to give it to a starving child. You reason with yourself that it's for the better, not considering the fact that you're leaving the man or the hawk to starve. I thought the topic of matsya nyaya and dharma were very intriguing as well to think that humans posses this mental capability to determine right and wrong for themselves, separate from the animal world.
Bibliography: Pattanaik's "Secrets of Vishnu"
Julie, I thought this was such a creative and unique way to re-inspire the tale of King Shibi. I thought the organization of your story was great. You led by explain the background of the importance of the story and I think this was really important to the flow of the story. Your explanation following the story of the dove was also really insightful. I enjoyed reading it!
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