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14 King Megharath
One day Indra, the king of heavenly gods, praised the bravery and mercifulness of King Megharath on Earth during an assembly of demigods. He mentioned that king Megharath would not hesitate to give up his own life to protect those who came to him for shelter. Two demigods doubted Indra's statement. So Indra asked them to go to Earth and see for themselves. Since they could not appear on Earth in their heavenly forms; one of them decided to take the form of a pigeon, and the other took the form of a hawk.
Down on Earth, King Megharath was sitting in his court surrounded by his courtiers. Suddenly a pigeon flew in through an open window and started circling the hall. To the king's surprise, it landed on his lap. It was shaking uncontrollably. The king realized that the pigeon was shaking with fear and had flown into the palace to seek refuge.
KING MEGHARATH
At that very instant, a hawk flew into the king's court. He said to the king, "This pigeon is my food. Let me have him." The king was dumbfounded to hear a bird talk! However, he replied, "It is true that this pigeon is your food, but now it is under my shelter. I will not give you this pigeon, but I can give you some other food."
He ordered his servants to bring a basket of fruits and vegetables. However, the hawk said, "I am not a human being, and I am not a vegetarian. I need meat (flesh) for my food."
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King Megharath offering his own flesh to save a bird's life
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