Jataka Tales - The Dwarf

A long time ago there lived a dwarf in Bharatavarsha. He was a clever man and an apt archer. He went to the gardens for plucking fruits with his arrows and was popular among people as ‘little archer’.

One day the archer went to the market in a cart. He carried his arch. Some people took the cart from midway. When they saw the little archer they mocked at him, ‘How can a small person be an archer?’

One of them said to the little archer, ‘O little one, be careful or your shoots may backfire your!’ They all laughed out loudly.

The little archer was very upset to hear them. But he was strong willed and did not dishearten.  He though to himself, ‘I am short in stature by nature. But God has also gifted me with the skill of archery. But people do not believe in my archery skills due to my dwarfism. I must deploy someone tall and strong to help me’.

When they reached the market, the boy saw a fat person weaving cane baskets. His name was Bhimasena.

The little archer went to Bhimasena and started chatting with him. They talked for sometime about the country, market, and people around, so on. After some time, the archer asked Bhimasena, ‘Bhimasena, you have a strong built. Have you ever thought that you should go to the palace and become an archer?’

Bhimasena smiled at him and said, ‘Friend, weaving is the only skill I have learned in my life. I don’t know archery’.

The little archer told Bhimasena about his archery skills and convinced him that he could teach Bhimasena archery. He persuaded Bhimasena to escort him to the palace.

At the palace, Bhimasena carried the arch. He bowed before the king and said, ‘Long live the king! I am an archer and have come here seeking a job. This dwarf fellow is my assistant and he is a good archer too. Allow us to serve you!’

The king was convinced and employed Bhimasena. He asked him to kill a wild tiger which had been roaming the village and predated the farm animals and kids. Though Bhimasena feared the killing, he agreed.

That night, the little archer told Bhimasena, ‘Bhimasena, do not fear. The onus of this task is on me. We shall go to the village tomorrow on a horse. You sit on the horse and tell the folks that we have to kill the tiger. I shall handle the situation thereafter’.

Next day, when they reached the village Bhimasena did as the he was told by the little archer. The villagers were happy to see someone come to help them. Some of the village men escorted Bhimasena to the forest while he sat on the horseback.

When they saw the tiger, the villagers thrashed the tiger with strong bamboo sticks, while Bhimasena sat on the horse watching them. The tiger died. Bhimasena took the dead tiger to the palace where he was heftily rewarded and appreciated by the king.

From then on, Bhimasena started living with the little archer in Varanasi. They lived peacefully and happily.

Bhimasena was recognized far and wide for his bravery. People admired him and he became a hero.

Days passed by. One day the villagers came to the king and told about a wild bison that had been robbing and killing their children and farm animals. The king sends a word for Bhimasena and asked him to kill the bison soon as possible.

Bhimasena was once again caught by fear. He told the little archer about the king’s orders. The archer asked Bhimasena to take the help of villagers as he did earlier and kill the bison.

When Bhimasena brought the dead bison before the king, the king was amazed. He was so impressed with Bhimasena’ that he asked him to live in the palace. Bhimasena was very happy and started residing in the palace. He soon forgot to gratify or met the archer.

One day the archer went to the palace to see the Bhimasena. However, Bhimasena refused to see him. One day by chance, Bhimasena met the archer in a garden. He didn’t greet the archer, instead threw him away in pride. The archer was hurt but he said nothing.

Days passed by. One day the king was attacked by one of his old enemies. The enemy was very powerful. The king called Bhimasena for defending him.

Bhimasena went for battling again the enemy on an elephant with arch. In his pride, he had forgotten that he was not skilled in archery. When the archer learned that Bhimasena had gone to the battle ground, he decided to teach him a lesson.

The archer fought bravely in the battlefield and warned Bhimasena to quit the ground soon as he can as Bhimasena was apt to fight against him. Bhimasena however was caught by overconfidence and pride. He ignored the archer’s warning and approached towards him for fighting. Soon he fell down from the elephant. Bhimasena quickly ran away to save his life.

The archer fought the enemy alone and defeated them. When the king learnt about the archer’s battling and fleeing of Bhimasena, he understood that the archer was the real hero. He welcomed and honored him. He was amply rewarded and recognized. The king kept him as an archer for the palace.

Moral: Never underestimate anyone.