Panchatantra · Ancient India
The Blue Jackal
A moonlit Panchatantra tale about a jackal who discovers that being yourself is the bravest thing of all.
Narrated by Meera Iyer
Meet the characters
Chandrika · The forest animals
Read along
Once upon a time, in a forest at the edge of a wide golden plain, there lived a jackal named Chandrika. He was small and quick, and every night he crept into the village to look for food. One moonless night, as Chandrika sniffed around the dyer's yard, he heard the barking of dogs. He ran — splash! — straight into a great vat of indigo dye. He tumbled out, blue from ear to tail, and raced back to the forest. When the animals saw him, they gasped. "A blue creature!" they cried. "We have never seen his like. Perhaps he has come from the sky. Perhaps he should be our king!" Chandrika stood very still. The blue felt strange and powerful. "I am sent from the heavens," he said, "and you must serve me." So the lion brought him food. The tiger guarded his den. Even the elephant bowed. Only the jackals were not sure. One evening, under a fat orange moon, the jackals howled their long, lonely song. And Chandrika — before he could stop himself — howled too. The forest went silent. "A jackal!" the animals cried. "Our king is only a jackal!" And they chased him to the very edge of the forest. Chandrika washed in the river until the blue faded away, and he never pretended to be anyone but himself again. Because being yourself is the bravest thing of all. The end.
