Paurika

Paurika was a king of the city Purika. His rule was unrighteous (adharma). As a result he was reborn as a jackal. He kept the memory of his past life as a king. This memory is called jātismaraṇa.

His story is told in the Vyāghra-Gomāyu Saṃvāda (the dialogue of the tiger and the jackal), in the Śānti Parva of the Mahābhārata.

Past life as king of Purika

In his human birth Paurika ruled the city Purika. The text calls his rule adharmic. He did not keep the duties of a righteous king. This was enough to bring him a birth as an animal.

In the jackal body he still remembered his life as a king. He knew from his own life how a king governs, how statecraft works and how a court behaves.

Minister of the tiger

A tiger was the king. He saw that the jackal had unusual intelligence and depth. The court already had old ministers, who were old jackals. They had held their posts for a long time because they stood close to power, not because of real merit. They opposed the new jackal. The tiger still made Paurika his minister.

The old ministers felt threatened by his skill and by the tiger’s respect for him. They decided to ruin his standing with a false charge.

The false charge

The old ministers were corrupt. They put stolen meat in Paurika’s dwelling. Then they accused him of theft before the tiger.

A minister must not take anything for himself from the king’s wealth. A minister who steals is not fit for his post. The same is true of a minister who secretly takes gifts from people who seek the king’s favour.

The tiger had trusted Paurika. The charge shook him, and he wavered.

Paurika is cleared

The tiger’s mother defended Paurika. She had watched him over a long time and could speak for his character. A spy was sent to look into the matter. He came back with proof of the old ministers’ plot.

The tiger now saw clearly that Paurika was innocent and that the old ministers had plotted against him. He apologised to Paurika.

The resignation

Paurika refused to stay. The tiger had apologised and Paurika was cleared. Even so, Paurika saw that once suspicion has broken the bond between a king and his minister, it cannot be mended in full. The tiger had believed the charge, even for a short time, and had wavered.

Paurika then took prāyopaveśa. This is the formal giving up of food and water, a calm way to meet death. In this way he left the tiger’s service. His death by prāyopaveśa earned him svarga (heaven). The king who had been reborn as a jackal because of his adharma gained a better state through his conduct in the jackal birth.

Sources

• Mahābhārata, Śānti Parva, Rājadharmānuśāsana Parva, Chapter 111 (Vyāghra-Gomāyu Saṃvāda)