King Shibi was known all over for his word and generous nature. Once, he saw an eagle chasing a dove. The king hid the dove. The hawk demanded, “Give me my bird.” The king replied, “Please spare the dove.” The hawk replied, “I will. But you must give me the exact amount of flesh as that of the dove.” So, King Shibi placed the dove on one side of a balance and cut small portions of his flesh and placed them on the other side. But the dove’s weight kept increasing. Finally, King Shibi himself mounted on the balance. Now the balance was equal. The gods cheered from above. The hawk and the dove were gods in disguise. Shibi was amazed. The gods said, “Your name shall remain in the world as long as the world remains.” All the cuts vanished from Shibi’s body. He was fit and fine.
The Generous King
