Mahabharata - Story of king Usinara

Story of King Usinara and his greatness

Once king Usinara who was very pious and very virtuous, was conducting a sacrifice on the bank of Yamuna. The celestials had heard of the king's greatness and therefore they decided to test him. Indra assumed the shape of a hawk and Agni that of a pigeon and they came to the spot where the king was conducting the yajna and the pigeon, out of fear took refuge with the king. The hawk tod the king that it was his duty to give up the pigeon as the pigeon was the food of the hawk and the king being a just and virtuous ruler, should not deprive a living being of its food. The king said that the pigeon was trembling with fear and had taken refuge with him and therefore as a Kshatriya it is his duty to protect it. He could not give up the pigeon. To give up one who has taken shlter is a great crime. At this the hawk said that a life is sustained by food. If the hawk is deprived of food by the king he may perish and so will his family. Therefore the king will then commit sin of being the cause of death of so many. The king then said that forsaking one who had taken shelter is not virtue. Instead the hawk can take any other food offered by the king and thus save himself. The hawk refused any other food and said that since heaven ordained that the pigeon was his food for that day he should take the pigeon and nothing else. He further said that hawks survive on pigeon flesh and therefore it is desirable that the king gave up this pigeon rather than tmpting him with other foods. The king then told him that it was not possible for him to give up that pigeon, but instead he is willing to agree to any other condition imposed by the hawk. The hawk can demand anything else from the king apart from the pigeon.

The hawk then said that if the king Usinara so insisted he must cut from his body an equivalent amount of flesh as that would equal the pigeon flesh and offer to the hawk.  The king gladly agreed thinking that a pigeon  did not have much flesh and cut a portion of his body flesh and weighed in a balance against the pigeon. To his suprise he found that he fell short. He then cut a further portion and weighed and this time also his flesh weighed less than that of the frail pigeon. The king however did not give up and tried again. When in this manner a substantial portion of his flesh was gone and he was in the danger of losing his own life, he put his whole body in the balance, i.e. he decided to give up his life to save the pigeon. At this the hawk and the pigeon assumed their own forms of Indra and Agni resp. and told the king that they were testing his virtue and were extremely happy to see the great sacrifice of life that the king was willing to undergo to save the life of a pigeon. They blessed him saying that his noble deed would bring him much glory in the earth and he will acquire great merit and ascend to the heaven. Then and there the king ascended to heaven blazing like the sun on account of his virtues and acquired many high celestial regions after his death.