Once, a tiger got trapped in a cage. However hard he tried, he could not get out of it. After several days in captivity, he saw a priest coming that way. "O pious one! Please let me out!" shouted the tiger. The priest hesitated to let the fierce tiger out. The tiger promised to be his slave if he was let out of the cage. Taking pity on the tiger, the priest let him out. The tiger's attitude suddenly changed and he pounced hungrily on the priest. The priest asked the tiger, "Didn't you promise not to harm me but to be my slave?" The tiger replied "All right, ask any three creatures to judge the situation. I shall let you free if even one of them supports you. But if not, I shall make you my meal."
The poor priest went in search of creature that would have sympathy for him. Soon, he came across a peepal tree, to whom he narrated his story. The tree spoke, "Look at me! I give shade to men, but all they do is chop my branches and cut me down. So stop grumbling and be willing to sacrifice yourself." The priest felt terribly let down and went to an old buffalo working hard and told what happened. The buffalo replied,"That's what life is all about. When I was young and yielded milk my master fed me well. But now that I am old and useless, he has tied me here and wants to squeeze the life out of me. So Why should I feel sorry for you"
The priest was dejected and finally he thought of asking the road so that it may understand his plight. But the road was in no mood to speak up for the priest. It said, "I take people everywhere, but all they do is trample on me. Why should I help you out? Aren't you a fool to expect gratitude from a tiger?" As the priest lamented his fate a jackal that came there pitied the priest and asked what was his problem. The priest told him the entire incident and the jackal asked the priest to take him to the tiger as what the priest explained was not clear to him. So the priest and the jackal went back to the tiger. The tiger was impatiently waiting for the priest. The jackal began questioning the tiger in a confusing manner about the incident. The tiger and priest tried to explain the situation but the jackal was not able to understand anything and also told the tiger that the cage seemed to small for him and it is hard to believe. The tiger got angry and said, "You fool, let me show you how I was in the cage." and went inside the cage. As soon as the tiger was in the cage the jackal locked up the cage and said, "This is where you should stay, you ungrateful tiger!".
The jackal and priest escaped from that place and the jackal advised the priest to be careful in future and not help people whose basic nature will never change.
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