The Clever Fox

A Jataka Tale… Retold by Navin

Once upon a time, the king of the fish sat brooding on his throne under the sea. He was the ruler of all the oceans, and all the aquatic animals of the world were his subjects. However, he wanted to make conquest on the lands as well! This would double the size of his kingdom.

Among the king’s subjects was a striped fish with an eye for opportunity. When the king first rose to power, this fish established himself as a seer and fortune-teller. He did not, in reality, have any sightseeing abilities. However, the seer knew that the king was a very superstitious fellow, and took advantage of the king’s beliefs for his  own benefit.

When the seer saw the king brooding, he asked what the matter was. When he learned of the king’s desire for conquest, the seer said, “I admire your vision, dear King, but you need to be crafty. If you pay me 1000 gold coins, I will find a solution.” The king was used to this, and paid the amount. The seer then intoned, “If you eat the heart of a fox, you will gain the wisdom necessary to wage war on the land.”

The king sent out messengers to all the rivers, to bring him the heart of a fox.

One day, a shark was lying in a river, when a fox drew near to the edge.

“Hello sister fox!” she said.

“Good morning sister shark,” replied the fox, “would you be able to carry me across this river?”

The shark happily obliged and began to carry the fox across the river. Suddenly, the shark took a sharp turn and began heading out to sea! “Sister shark, what are you doing!” exclaimed the fox.

“I’m taking you to my king! He will eat your heart, and I will be rewarded!” the shark laughed.

The fox did not panic, but smacked her own forehead. “Oh no!” she cried.

“What’s the matter?” inquired the shark.

“I would gladly give your king my heart, but I chose today to wash it! It’s drying on the clothesline!” frowned the fox.

“Oh dear! Here, I’ll drop you on the shore and you can go get your heart,” the shark said.

“Thank you! I’ll be right back!” the fox promised. The shark assured her it was no trouble. It was only when she had been waiting by the shore for several hours that she realized she had been fooled!