The leaders of Punjab called Singhs (‘Lion’ in Punjabi)  would often go out on a hunt in the forest and perfect their skills. One day, the Guru ordered a lion to be skinned and brought to him. He then proceeded to put the skin on a donkey that was grazing near the forest edges. 

When the next morning, the villagers saw the head of a lion popping near the tall grass, they left their morning ablutions and ran away. They alerted the rest of the villagers that a lion was prowling nearby. The villagers, scared of a rogue lion, were imprisoned in their houses helplessly for the next couple of days. While the donkey donning the lion skin freely roamed around, grazing a feast of a lifetime. 

Incidentally, a potter was returning to his uncharacteristically quiet village with his bunch of donkeys. His donkeys began to bray and soon enough, the donkey in the lionskin joined the braying brethren. The confused potter correctly identified the donkey beneath the mask, and went ahead with removing its disguise. The villagers were finally relieved upon this revelation. But they went protesting to the Guru, asking the reason for the three days of fright. 

The Guru explained that this was to demonstrate to the Singhs as well as to the villagers that by merely adopting the garb of a righteous leader, one does not really become a lion. A leader’s true test is their deeds and service to the public, setting them apart from the chaos of a braying crowd. 

A folkstory from Punjab sourced from ‘Bed Time Stories – 1 (Guru Gobind Singh Ji)’ by Santokh Singh Jagdev.

Edited by Ashmeen B

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