Lion and Hare

A lion ruling over a jungle.  He killed deer, boars, rabbits, bison's, etc. and ate them.  Yet he was not happy with his kill.The victims family too were unhappy.  They all met the lion one day in a delegation. 

“Oh, lord,” they said, 

“why do you kill so many animals every day when you need only one for your food? Let us come to an understanding. From today, you need not move from your place. We will send one animal every day to you. That will spare you the trouble of hunting and us our lives.”

“Our ancestors have said that the duty of the king is to rule and not to destroy.  If you protect the people they in turn will come to the rescue of the king in times of need.”

The lion accepted this argument ,

“What you say is true,  so I accept this arrangement.  But if you fail to send one animal every day, I shall kill all of you.”

“The animals agreed to this and began roaming the forest without fear and sending one of their own folk to the lion for his food. One day it was the turn of a hare.  He started leisurely on his last journey.  On his way he saw a big well peeped inside it.  He saw his own reflection inside the well.  Suddenly an idea struck the hare.  He decided to somehow tempt the lion to the well and persuade him to jump into it.  It was late in the evening when the hare reached the lion's den. The lion was hungry and so angry and decided to kill all the animals.   At that time the hare came and knelt before him.  The lion roared angrily and said,

“First, you are too small for my lunch. Second, you have come late. I shall kill you and all the other animals too,” the lion warned the hare.  The hare shivered in fear and said to the lion in a soft voice,

“My lord, it is not my fault or the fault of other animals.”

The lion roared and asked the hare,

“Let me know who delayed you and I will kill him at once.”

“Our folks have decided that it is my turn today. Since I was too small in size to  make a full meal, they have sent three more hares with me for your meal.  As we were all coming to you, a big lion came out of his den and demanded to know where we were all going.”  For this we replied that,

“We are all going to the lion king as his meal according to our arrangement. 

The big lion said that this jungle belonged to him and that all animals obeyed its orders. He also told us that you are a cheat and asked us to bring you to him.  He said he wanted a fight. Whoever wins the fight will become the king.  He commanded me to summon you to his fort. That's why I am late. It is now for you to decide, what to do” the hare told the lion.

The lion got very angry and asked the hare to take him to the other lion.  The hare took the lion king to the well and made him peep inside the well.

The lion peeped inside and saw his own reflection inside the well.  The lion roared loudly looking at the reflection.  His voice echoed from inside the well and the lion thought it was the other lion roaring.

This annoyed the lion king and he jumped inside the well and drowned.  In this way the jungle was saved of the evil king because of the hare smartness.

The animals of the jungle lived happily ever after.

Monkey and Crocodile

Once upon a time there lived a monkey on a tree by the side of the sea. The tree was an apple tree that bore apples as sweet as nectar.  Once a crocodile swam ashore where the monkey lived and the monkey threw apples a few apples at the crocodile and asked him to taste them. The crocodile started coming everyday ashore and eat the fruits thrown by the monkey and soon they became good friends. The crocodile used to take some fruits to his home to his wife. His wife was greedy and asked him where he got the nectar filled apples from. The crocodile told about his friend the monkey. The greedy wife pleaded with her husband that she would like to eat the monkey's heart.  She thought that, a person who gave such tasty fruits must have a heart filled with nectar.  The crocodile got angry and did not agree to deceiving his friend. But she then started fighting with the crocodile and said she would not eating anything till he brought her his friend's heart. Out of desperation, the crocodile started making plans for bringing his friend's heart.
He came back to the monkey and extended an invitation to his house for supper.  He stated that his wife would be thrilled to have him home and also that she was very anxious to meet such a nice friend. Poor monkey believed the story.  But he asked his friend as to how he could cross the sea to reach the house of the crocodile on the other side. The crocodile offered to carry him on his back and the monkey agreed. In the middle of the sea,  the crocodile tried to drown the monkey into the ocean to kill the monkey. The monkey got frightened and asked the crocodile why he was doing this.  The crocodile told him that his wife wanted to eat the monkey's heart filled with nectar.  The monkey immediately understood the crocodiles mean mind and asked the crocodile to take him back to the tree.   He told the crocodile  that he had left his heart which was full of nectar back at the tree. The foolish crocodile believed the smart monkey's trick and swam back to the tree and the terrified monkey jumped up the tree never to return. Upon being asked as to why she was not returning, the monkey answered that he was not a  fool and scolded his friend for misusing his friendship. The crocodile was ashamed of what happened and asked the monkey if he could make any amends. And he was also scared that his wife would not let him back in because he had returned without the monkey's heart. Just then he heard that a huge he-crocodile had occupied the house of his. The monkey advised him to fight the he-crocodile and drive him out of his home and gain his wife's confidence. His advice the crocodile followed and he got back his wife.
'Intelligence wins over mighty physical power'.

Advice to Fools

A pair of sparrows made a nest on a branch of a big tree and started living there.Soon it was rainy season and it began to rain heavily.  Heavy wind made the cold unbearable. At that time, a monkey came near that tree, completely drenched in the rain and shivering from cold, looking for cover.

Seeing the condition of the monkey, the female sparrow said, “Gentleman, you have big feet and hands like human beings. Why didn't you build a house for yourself?' This advice angered the monkey and he said, 

“you stupid sparrow, why don't you shut up and mind your own business?" The monkey told himself, “My god, what arrogance! This little bit of a creature has the arrogance to offer me advice.  I must teach her a lesson. Why shouldn't I kill her?”

Turning to the female sparrow, the monkey said, 

“Why do you worry about my condition?  Haven't you heard this saying of the elders that you should offer advice to only those who seek it and cherish it? Advice to such a person is a waste. Don't try to do that.”

But the female sparrow continued to advice.  This made the monkey more angry.  He climbed up the tree and broke up the nest of the sparrow pair.

“you should be careful in offering advice.  Fools ignore advice and wise men follow it and benefit by it. 

Bird with 2 heads

A great bird lived on the banks of a lake.  He had two heads but a single body.  Both the heads had separate thinking.  Though they had a single body they thought of them as two most of the times.  
One day, the bird was wandering on the bank of the lake.  He found a very delicious fruit. One of his heads mumbled, 
“Oh what a fruit. I am sure the heavens have sent it for me. I am so lucky.” 
Hearing this, the second head, who was a little dumb of the two said, 
“O brother, let me also taste the fruit you are praising so much.”
The first head, who was the intellegent of the two, laughed and said, 
“Both of us have the same stomach. It makes no difference whether I eat it or you eat it. I shall give it to our beloved. She will be very happy.”  
Thus gave the fruit to his wife. The second head was disappointed at this action of the first head.
One day, the second head found a poisonous fruit and told the first head, 
“You treacherous fellow. For what you have done to me, I will eat this poisonous fruit and avenge your insult.” 
The second head said, “You fool, if you eat that, both of us will die because we have the same body.”

Ignoring his warning, the second head ate the poisonous fruit and both of them died.

Those who are not united will perish.

The Camel, The Jackal and The Crow (Contin......)

Continu.....

The leopard intervened and said, 

“You jackal, you are no great personality. Let me plead with the lord.” Addressing the lion, the leopard said, 

“Oh lord, let me give away my life to save your life. Please permit me to earn a permanent place in heaven. My sacrifice will win fame for me on earth.”

All this point the camel started thinking, All these servants of the lord have said what they wanted to say. Still, the lion did not kill anyone of them. Let me also offer to be the lord's food today. I am sure my friends will support me.

He then turned to the leopard and said, “What you have said is right and proper. But you are a carnivorous animal and belong to the same species as the master does. How can he kill you? Let me offer myself.”

The camel then came forward and requested the lion to have him for that day's meal. At once, the jackal and the leopard pounced on him tore him to pieces and all of them had a great feast.

Moral:  “Wicked people will remain wicked and good men should never serve such masters." 

The Camel, The Jackal and The Crow

In a far off forest, there lived a lion and he was served by a leopard, a jackal and a crow. One day they saw a camel who had lost his way and new to the forest. They thought the camel was an unusual animal, so they told the king about the new animal in the forest and, the lion asked his assistants to find out if he was a wild animal or domestic animal.

The crow said that the camel was a domestic animal fit to be killed and eaten. Refusing to eat the camel, the lion said:

“I shall not kill someone who came seeking hospitality. According to our elders, you cannot kill even an enemy who came trusting you. He who kills so commits the sin of killing hundred Brahmins. Assure him of safety and bring him to me.” 

The three assistants brought the camel to the presence of the lion. The lion asked the camel to tell his story.  The camel told him, he was part of a trade caravan and he had lost his way. The lion told the camel, 

"Oh Camel, why do you go back to your village and become once again a beast of burden? Remain with us without any hesitation and feast on this tender grass.” 

Thereafter, the camel stayed on to live happily with the lion and his three assistants.

One day, the lion was in a battle with an elephant. The tusker attacked and the lion injured him. The lion king became too weak to hunt. Without food he was in no position to do anything. The lion asked his assistants to go out and look for some animal for his meal. 

"Bring the animal here. I will kill him somehow and provide food for you all,” said the lion.

The leopard, the jackal, and the crow looked everywhere for an animal but could not find anyone. The jackal told the crow aside,

“Friend, what is the use of wasting time like this? We have the camel, our lord's loyal friend. Let us kill him and survive.” “That is fine. Yet we cannot kill him because our lord has assured him protection,” said the crow.”

“Leave it to me. I shall convince the leopard to kill the camel. Wait here. I will meet the lord and get his permission,” said the jackal and left to meet the lion.

The jackal told his lord, “Oh, lord, we went to every nook and corner of the forest. We could not find a single animal. We are tired, weak and hungry. Since my lord is also in the same condition, I humbly suggest that we make a meal of this camel.”

Highly annoyed, the lion said, “You sinner, if you repeat these words, I shall first kill you. I have given him my word. How can I kill him? Haven't our elders said that no gift of land or cow or food is greater than the gift of an assurance?”

“You are right my lord. It is a sin to kill him who has your word. But if the camel voluntarily offers himself as food it is no sin to accept the offer. If he does not volunteer, you can kill anyone of us. You are hungry and close to your end. If we are not of use to you at this time what value have our lives? If anything undesirable happens to our lord, we will immolate ourselves.” 

“This seems to be more reasonable,” said the lion.

The jackal told the other two assistants, 

“Friends, our lord is in a pitiable condition. There is now no one to protect us from others. Instead of aimlessly searching the forest for food, let us offer our bodies to him. That will deliver us from the burden of debt. The servant who is witness to the helpless death of his master will go to hell.”

After the jackal's plea, all of them called on the lion with tears in their eyes. “What's the matter? Did you find an animal?” asked the lion.

“No, my lord. We searched every place, every inch of the forest. We are not lucky. We found nothing. But I request the lord to have me for his meal. That will mean two birds with one shot. The lord will survive and I will go to heaven. He who lays down his life to save his lord will have no rebirth,” said the crow.

It was now the turn of the jackal to show his loyalty. He said, “My friend, crow. Your body is too small to slake the hunger of my lord. It amounts to starving him and that is a sin. Get out of my way. I have to submit a plea to my lord.”

Addressing the lion, the jackal said, “Lord, I request you to have me for your meal and ensure me a place in heaven. The lord has rights of life and death over his servants. Therefore, it is no sin in exercising his rights.”

 To be Continued...........

Merchants Pride and Sweepers Ego

In the city of Vardhaman, there lived a wealthy merchant named Dantila. He held a great reception for his wedding.  He invited the king, the queen, their ministers and all the rich and influential persons in the city.  Gorambha, a sweeper in the royal household also attended the reception.  Dantila saw him occupying a seat reserved for the nobles of the king, he ordered his servants to throw Gorambha out of his house.

Gorambha felt insulted and thought to himself,

 “I am a poor man and so cannot give any reply to such a wealthy person as Dantila. I must some how see that Dantila realises his mistake.”

 Then he hit upon a plan to take revenge on Dantila.

One early morning when the king was still asleep, Gorambha entered the kind bedroom and started sweeping, began loudly murmuring in sleepy voice,

“Oh, how arrogant is Dantila! He has the guts to lock the queen in his embrace.”

Hearing this, the king demanded to know whether what Gorambh was murmuring is true. Did Dantila embrace the queen?  To this question Gorambh replied,

“Oh, your majesty, I don't remember nor do I know what I was saying because I was drowsy having spent the entire night in gambling,” the sweeper told the king.

Not satisfied with his reply the king thought that it was possible that the sweeper had seen Dantila, who had equal access to the royal household as Gorambha, embracing the queen. He remembered wise men saying that men were likely to talk in their sleep about what they did, and saw in the day.

Convinced that Dantila had embraced the queen, the king barred Dantila from entering the royal household.The merchant began grieving his fate though he had not done any harm to the king or his relatives even in his dreams.

One day as Dantila was trying to enter the king's palace he was barred by the king's men. Seeing this Gorambha told them,

“You fools, you are barring the great Dantila who has won the king's favours. He is powerful. If you stop him, you will meet with the same fate as I did at the hands of Dantila one day.”

The merchant thought that it was not right on his part about how he behaved with Gorambha on the party day.   One evening he invited the sweeper for tea and presented him with expensive clothes and told him, “Friend, I had never meant to insult you. You had occupied a seat I had set apart for the learned. Kindly pardon me.”

This pleased, the sweeper and he promised to himself that he would  win the kin's favour for Dantila again. The next day, Gorambha repeated the same drama of pretending to talk irrelevantly, that the king was eating cucumber in the rest room. “What nonsense are you talking? Did you ever see me doing such things?” the king demanded to know.

“No, your majesty. I do not know nor do I remember what I was saying because I was drowsy having spent the entire night in gambling,” the sweeper said.

The king then realized that if what the sweeper had said about him was not true what he had said about Dantila also could not be true. A person like Dantila could not have done what Gorambha had told him.

The king also found that without Dantila the affairs of the state had suffered and civic administration had come to a standstill. The king immediately summoned the merchant to his palace and restored to him all the authority he had enjoyed before he fell out of king's favour.

“That is why we must know that pride goes before fall.”