King Shibi was acclaimed far and wide for his righteousness, justice and compassion. Descended from the illustrious line of Bharata, he deeply honoured the Gods.
“I wonder,” said Indra, King of the Gods, “how far his goodness goes.”
“Yes,” said Dharma, God of Righteousness, “we must put his character to the test.”
So Indra turned himself into a large black hawk. “Let us begin,” he said, giving chase as Dharma took the shape of a white dove and flew for his life.
The people below saw the fierce hawk swooping down the sky upon the defenseless dove. “Fly to our king,” they screamed to the dove. Spying the king standing at his terrace, the dove flew straight into his lap. “O Highness, save me,” he implored.
It was the king’s unshakeable vow to protect anyone who sought refuge under him. Thus the weak and the deprived were safe in his realm from the rich and the strong. “Have no fear,” he reassured the dove.
The hawk then alighted in front of the king. “O Great Ruler, the bird you shelter is my natural prey. If I do not devour him, I shall starve to death. This is how the Gods have made me, and I know you will not disturb their order of things.”
The king looked into the hawk’s dark eyes and felt compassion for him. Then he glanced down at the dove and stroking its soft feathers, said: “I cannot turn over one who seeks protection from me. To save your life, I grant you any other food that is equal to this dove.”
“Very well,” the hawk said, “Since you have developed a fondness for this dove, cut off a portion of your own flesh, weigh it in a balance against the dove, and when you find it equal in weight, give it unto me to satisfy my hunger.”
Without a moment’s hesitation, even as the courtiers and royal officials gasped in horror, the king asked them to bring a scale. Placing the dove on one side of the scale, he took out his sharp dagger, cut a piece of his flesh and put it on the other side. The scale did not move. He cut another piece, and still the scale would not budge. The more of his flesh he cut and placed on the scale, the heavier the dove seemed to become.
With almost the entire right half of the king’s body cut away, a tear drop appeared in his left eye. At this, the hawk objected, “O Majesty, I cannot accept food given in distress. I want my prey back.”
Smiling, the king replied: “It is not a tear of grief, but of joy that you behold in my left eye. For I now know that the left half of my body too will be used to honour the promise I have made to both of you.”
So saying, the king stepped onto the scale. And lo, the scale balanced! The hawk and the dove vanished, and in their places stood Lord Indra and Dharma.
As the heavens showered flowers and sang the king’s praise, the Gods restored his body to the full and granted him many boons.
Thus King Shibi passed the ultimate test to uphold Dharma, the true duty of every king. After filling Earth with the merit of his numerous pious deeds for long, he ascended directly to heaven in radiant form.
— the harbinger