There used to live a lion in a forest. His name was Karalkeshar. The lion had a jackal named Dhusarak as his attendant who used to follow him like shadow. Everyday, the lion would hunt an animal and after having his due share left the remaining flesh for the jackal. Thus the jackal was also passing his time happily. One day, the lion had a fight with an elephant and got seriously injured. Now, because of his master's injury, the jackal too could not get anything to eat and began to starve.

One day the jackal said to the lion -

"Lord! Prolong starvation has made me weak. I am now unable even to walk a few steps because of my hunger. In such a condition how can I serve you?"

The lion instructed the jackal to find an animal which he could kill even in his injuries. The jackal then went towards the village in search of an animal.

At the outskirts of the village, the jackal saw a very lean and thin donkey, who was grazing there. The donkey's name was Lambakarna. The Jackal asked him -

"Uncle! How are you? How thin and weak you have become? Is everything going well?"

The donkey replied -

"Oh no! Nothing is going well! My master only takes hard work from me but does not feed my properly. This is the reason why I have become so weak."

The cunning jackal replied -

"If this is the case then came along with me. I know a place, which is full of green grass. In a very short time you will grow very healthy."

But the donkey had some apprehensions in his mind. He said -

"I am a domestic animal. I fear that the wild animals would not like my presence in the forest and they could even kill me."

The jackal assured him that his apprehensions were baseless as that area was well protected by him. But the donkey remained unconvinced.

The jackal then thought of a plan and lured the donkey -

"O uncle! you must come along with me without any fear. You will be pleased to know that there are already three janets in that area and they are enjoying their lives grazing the green grass whole day. They are interested in getting married. They have requested me to bring a donkey so that they can get married."

This temptation was too lucrative for the donkey to refuse. He agreed to go along with the jackal. When accompanied by the donkey the jackal reached the forest, the lion got very pleased. He tried to get up. As soon as the donkey saw the lion getting up he tried to run away. The lion tried to attack the fleeing donkey but the donkey somehow managed to escape.

Getting angry with the lion, the jackal said -

"You are not even capable of killing a donkey, how will you fight an elephant?"

The lion felt very much ashamed of himself. The jackal then told him that he would try to coax the donkey for a second time. "This time you must be careful", said the jackal.

Though the lion was not so sure of the donkey's second arrival, but still he agreed to remain alert. The jackal then followed the path, through which the donkey had galloped. He saw the donkey standing beside a lake. He said -

"Uncle! Why did you run away?"

The donkey replied -

"Son! I was almost killed! Who was the animal that had attacked me?"

The cunning jackal replied -

"Oh uncle! That was one of those three janets. She was so fancied by you that she just tried to embrace you but you did not understand her love and ran away like a coward. She cannot live without you. She had vowed to end her life, if she did not get you as her husband. You have to marry her."

The foolish donkey believed the words of the cunning jackal and went back to the lion. But this time the lion did not make a mistake and killed the foolish donkey.

After killing the donkey, the lion went to take his bath instructing the jackal to guard the dead donkey. As soon as the lion got out of the sight, the jackal ate up the ears and heart of the donkey.

When the lion returned, he found the ears and heart missing. He got very angry and suspected that it was the act of the cunning jackal. But the jackal said that the donkey did not have ears and heart from his birth. He said -

"If he had ears, would he not be able to listen to your roars. Similarly, If he had heart he would not have returned for the second time, even after having been attacked by you."

The lion was convinced by his explanations.

Completing his story the monkey said to crocodile that he was not only an imposter but also a fool who failed in his plan revealing the truth.

"If a foolish imposter reveals his plan by telling the truth, he fails in his plan just like Yudhisthir the potter."

The crocodile curiously asked about the story of Yudhisthir

The monkey narrated the following story -