The King of Banaras had a chariot, specially made for himself. It was very richly decorated with belts and straps of real leather, embroidered and crafted beautifully.
One day when the King returned from his drive in the chariot, he drove it up to the palace. It was not put away in the shed where it usually stood at night. That night, it rained heavily. The leather of the chariot was soaked and swelled up. It began to smell foul.
In the palace, the King kept several dogs of excellent breeds. When they smelt the leather, they traced it to the chariot and attacked it. In the morning, the King was horrified to see his precious chariot looking a mess, all its seats and straps and belts ripped. He was furious.
It so happened that the dogs’ attendants had neglected their duties, so they had run out. The attendants lied to the King that some stray dogs must have caused the damage. The King ordered that all the dogs in his kingdom, strays and pets, should be killed.
The terrified dogs gathered at a cemetery outside the city to find a solution. The Dog King was Silver, a handsome dog with silver fur, bright eyes and pointed ears. He was wise, alert and fearless. He said, “I will talk to the King of Banaras and explain the truth to him. You must stay here and be calm.”
The dogs were worried that Silver would be killed on the streets. But Silver walked in a calm and dignified way through the streets towards the palace. None dared to harm him. At the palace, he walked straight past the guards into the court and sat down near the King’s throne.
The King was amazed and impressed. Silver bowed before the King and asked him why he had ordered the dogs to be killed. The King explained the damage to his chariot.
“And you punished everyone without finding out who the real culprit is, selecting those who will be punished and those who won’t without knowing the truth?” asked Silver.
The King admitted that the palace dogs had not been killed. “How can I know who damaged my chariot?” asked the King. Silver asked for the palace dogs to be brought and fed buttermilk and grass.
When the palace dogs were given buttermilk and grass they vomited the leather pieces and the King knew the real culprits. “Everybody᾿s life must be respected and justice must be done equally to all creatures,” advised Silver to the humbled King. Never again did the King commit such injustice.
