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King Shibi

© Harsh Nevatia

King Shibi was the son of Ushinar and was born in the Ikshavaku dynasty. He was an ancestor of Lord Rama the seventh incarnation of Vishnu. Shibi was renowned for his kind-heartedness and devotion to God.

Once to test the king, Indra (the king of the Demi-Gods) took the guise of a falcon and Agni (the God of Fire) disguised himself as a pigeon. Thus disguised, the falcon began to chase the pigeon. Shivering with fear, the pigeon landed in the lap of king Shibi and hid under his attire. Soon the falcon also arrived at the scene. Seeing the pigeon hiding in the king's attire. The falcon spoke in a human voice: "O King, you are the supreme devotee and greatest among spirituals. But why are you going against your religion today? You have conquered deceit with truth, poverty with wealth, cruelty with kindness. You even show kindness to sinners and even to your enemies. At present, I am starving and you are preventing me from grabbing my food."

Then the pigeon spoke in a timid voice, "O king, I have come to your refuge. Kindly save my life".

The king said to the falcon, "Everyone's life is dear to him. Hence, one must protect those weaker than ourselves. So, I must protect this pigeon that has come in my refuge. Tell me if you wish to satisfy your hunger by any other means".

The falcon said, " If I don't get my food, I will die and my offspring will also die. Thus, to save one pigeon, many lives will be lost. Hence, you decide if it is justifiable to lose one or more lives. I only eat fresh meat. Hence, to give me food you will have to kill another living organism. Does it make any difference then?"

The king Shibi said, "O falcon, it is the supreme duty of the king to protect the one in danger. If my body is of no use for others, it is useless for me to nourish it daily. I will give you fresh flesh from my body."

The falcon said, "O king, I will accept your offering in exchange for the pigeon provided it is equal in weight to the pigeon."

A weighing scale was brought and the pigeon sat in one pan of the balance. Shibi cut off his left arm and put it on the other pan. But the pigeon's weight outweighed Shibi's flesh. So king Shibi cut off one leg and put it on the pan to balance the pigeon's weight. But once again, the pigeon outweighed the flesh. Then the king cut off his other leg but the pigeon's weight was still greater. Ultimately, king Shibi ordered that his bleeding body be put on the pan. As soon as this was done, tumultuous sounds of musical instruments were heard and the gods began to shower flowers on him. Indra and Agni too appeared in their original forms.

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