“There are some. The royal dogs in our house are exempt.”
“Great king! only just now you were saying you had given orders to kill all dogs, wherever found, because dogs had eaten the carriage-leather; and now you say that the well-bred dogs in your own house have been exempted. Now this being so, you become guilty of partiality and the other shortcomings of a judge.[304] Now, to be guilty of such thing is neither right, nor kingly. It behoves him who bears the name of king to try motives as with a balance. Since the royal dogs are not punished with death, whilst the poor dogs are, this is no sentence of death on all dogs, but slaughter of the weak.”
Then the Great Being further lifted up his pleasant voice, and said, “Great king! That which you are doing is not justice;” and he taught the king the Truth in this stanza:
“The dogs brought up in the king’s house,
The thoroughbreds in birth and strength—
Not these, but we, are to be killed.
This is no righteous vengeance; this is slaughter of the weak!”
When the king heard what the Bodisat said, he asked, “O Wise One, do you then know who it is has eaten the carriage leather?”
“Yes; I know it,” said he.
“Who are they then?”