King Shibi's Sacrifice - When Compassion Meets Testing (Ahimsa)

Dadi: "Guddu beta, let me tell you the same King Shibi story from a different angle - what it teaches about ahimsa, non-violence."

Guddu: "But Dadi, he cut himself! Isn't that violence?"

Dadi: "That's exactly the puzzle, beta! Ahimsa usually means not hurting anyone. But what do you do when protecting one creature means harming another?"

Guddu: "Like choosing between the dove and the hawk?"

Dadi: "Exactly. If Shibi gave up the dove, the hawk would kill it - violence. If he kept the dove, the hawk would starve - also violence. Where is ahimsa when every choice leads to harm?"

Guddu: "There was no good answer..."

Dadi: "So Shibi found a third option. He took the harm onto HIMSELF. The hawk could eat, the dove could live, and the only one hurt was the king who chose to absorb the violence."

Guddu: "That's amazing logic!"

Dadi: "The story asks: what if true ahimsa sometimes means taking harm upon yourself rather than letting harm spread to others?"

Guddu: "Like jumping on a bomb to save people?"

Dadi: "Exactly that spirit, beta. Shibi didn't SEEK suffering - that's important. He first tried every alternative. "Take other flesh," he offered. "Any animal from my kingdom." Only when there was NO other way did he offer himself."

Guddu: "So it's a last resort?"

Dadi: "Yes! Ahimsa isn't about enjoying pain or being a victim. It's about protecting life - and sometimes the only way to protect all lives is to sacrifice something of your own."

Guddu: "The story is also in Buddhist texts, right?"

Dadi: "Yes! It appears in the Jataka Tales as a past life of Buddha. The teaching traveled across religions because the question is universal: how far would you go to protect the helpless?"

Guddu: "Most people wouldn't cut their own flesh..."

Dadi: "Most people won't face such extreme tests. But the principle shows up in smaller ways every day."

Guddu: "Like what?"

Dadi: "When someone is angry at your friend, and you step in to absorb their anger. When two people are fighting, and you let both sides blame you to stop the fight. When you take a loss so someone else doesn't have to."

Guddu: "Taking the hit so others don't get hit."

Dadi: "Exactly. Shibi's flesh cutting was dramatic, but the daily version is this: choosing your own discomfort over someone else's pain."

Guddu: "The hawk verse says something about cost?"

Dadi: ""Compassion is not free. It costs exactly what it costs.""

Guddu: "What does that mean?"

Dadi: "It means that protecting others often requires something from us. Time, energy, money, comfort, sometimes pride. Shibi paid the ultimate price - but most of us pay smaller amounts regularly."

Guddu: "And we shouldn't avoid paying?"

Dadi: "We shouldn't pretend compassion is easy or free. When you share your lunch with a hungry friend, you're a little hungrier. When you stay up late helping with homework, you're a little more tired. Those are real costs."

Guddu: "But worth it?"

Dadi: "The story says yes. Shibi was healed, blessed, and remembered for thousands of years. But even if he wasn't - protecting the helpless was its own reward."

Guddu: "Dadi, the story makes ahimsa seem harder than just "don't hurt anyone.""

Dadi: "It IS harder, beta. True ahimsa means actively working against harm in the world - even when that work costs you something. It's not passive. It's a warrior's path, just with different weapons."

Guddu: "Shibi was a warrior of non-violence!"

Dadi: "Beautifully said! He fought against harm using his own body as the battlefield. That's the deepest meaning of ahimsa - not avoiding conflict, but ensuring YOU are the only one who pays."

Guddu: "I want to be brave like that someday."

Dadi: "Start small, beta. Tomorrow, if someone is mean to your friend, stand beside them. That's little-scale Shibi. Now sleep, my compassionate warrior."