Chapter 16 – King Megharath
Once there was a discussion going on in Indra’s (head of heavenly beings) court. One of the demi-gods said that there are brave and merciful kings on Earth who would not hesitate laying down their own lives to protect those who come to them for shelter. Another demi-god doubted his statement. The two began to argue and so Indra intervened by asking them to go to Earth and see for themselves. The two demi-gods made a plan of action. One of them decided to take the form of a pigeon, and the other took the form of a hawk.
On the Earth, King Megharath was sitting in his court surrounded by his courtiers. At that time a pigeon flew in through an open window and started circling inside the hall. To the king’s surprise, it landed on his lap. The king realized that the pigeon had come there out of fear.
At that very instant, a hawk flew into the king’s court too. He said to the king, “This pigeon is my prey.” The king was struck with a wonder to hear a bird speak. However, he replied, “It is true that this pigeon is your prey, but now it is under my shelter. I will not give you this pigeon, but I can give you some other food.”
He ordered his servants to bring a basket of fruits and vegetables. But the hawk said, “I am not a human being. I am not vegetarian. I need flesh for my food.”
The king said, “Let me give you my own flesh instead of this pigeon’s flesh.” Upon hearing this, one of the courtiers said, “Your Majesty, why should you give your own flesh? Let’s get the flesh from a butcher’s shop.”
The king replied, “No, because butcher ’s trade flourishes when we use meat. He will have to kill another animal in order to supply us the meat. This pigeon has sought refuge and it is my duty to protect it. At the same time, it is my duty to see that no one else is harmed in this process. Therefore, I will give my own flesh to the hawk.”
With these words, he took out his dagger and cut off a piece of flesh from his thigh and offered that to the hawk. The whole court was stunned. But the hawk said to the king, “Oh, king! I want the same amount of flesh as the pigeon.”
Therefore, a weighing scale was brought to the court. The king put the pigeon on one side and a piece of his own flesh on the other. The king kept putting more and more of his flesh on the scale, but it was still not enough. Finally the king got ready to put his whole body on the scale. The court was stunned that the king was giving his own life for an insignificant bird. But the king considered it his duty to protect the bird to be above everything else. He sat in the scale on the side opposite to the pigeon, closed his eyes, and began meditating.
As soon as the king started meditation, the pigeon and the hawk assumed their original divine forms. Both demi-gods bowed to the king and said, “Oh great king! You are blessed. We are convinced that you are a brave and merciful man.”
With these words, they praised and saluted the king again and left. The whole court resounded with the cheers of joy, “Long live King Megharath.”
Later on, the soul of King Megharath became the sixteenth Tirthankar, Shänti-Näth.
Key message:
This story teaches us that it is the utmost duty of everyone to protect and help those, who are less fortunate than us. A merciful person is someone who is not only influenced by seeing the misery and suffering of others, but goes a step further and attempts to alleviate the pain. He gives financial aid to those who are poor, and gives food to those who are hungry and needy. A merciful person would not harm others to promote himself but on the contrary, would sacrifice even his own life to save the lives of the others.
