short stories from PANCHATANTRA

THE JACKEL AND THE DRUM

MORAL:Greed is always harmful

Once upon a time, in a jungle there lived a jackal by the name of Gomaya. One day, he was very hungry and was wandering in search of food. While wandering, he came across a battle field. There he saw a big drum lying under a tree. When the wind blew, a tender branch grown at the root of the tree struck the drum producing sound of a drum beat. The jackal examined the drum from all sides and then beat the drum with his front paws. The drum made a sound. Now the jackal thought that there might be some other small animal inside the drum and that would make a very tasty meal for him. But he found the top of the drum too tough to tear off.

The jackal thought of a plan and began to beat the drum with both his front paws.The sound of drumbeat filled the whole jungle. A leopard who was attracted towards the sound of the drum, came near it. The jackal said to the leopard, "Your Majesty, there is some animal hiding inside the drum. Since you have sharp claws and strong teeth, you can tear off the top of the drum and catch your prey inside the drum.

The leopard was himself hungry So he hit the top of the drum with his heavy paws. The drum burst with a sound, but there was no animal inside. The drum was empty.

Seeing the empty drum, the leopard became very angry and said to the jackal, "You have wasted my time. There is no food inside the drum. So I will kill and eat you."

The leopard pounced upon the jackal and killed and ate him.

THE LAPWINGS AND THE SEA

MORAL:One should always fight against injustice

THE DONKEY AND THE CUNNING FOX

MORAL:Sometimes a cunning argument outwits normal intelligence

Once there lived a foolish donkey in a town. The town was situated near a forest. There, in the forest lived king lion and his minister, a cunning fox. Once, king lion was badly wounded in a fierce fighting with an elephant. He became unable to hunt for his prey. So he asked his minister, the cunning fox to bring some good meal for him. As the fox used to share the prey, which king lion hunted for his meals, he at once, set out to search for food.

While wandering here and there, the fox met a donkey. The donkey looked foolish, nervous and hungry. The fox asked him, "Hello! you seem to be new to this forest. Where do you actually come from?"

"I come from the nearby town", said the donkey. "My master, the dhobi makes me work all day, but doesn't feed me properly. So I've left my home to find a better place to live in and eat properly."

"I see", said the fox. "Don't worry. I'm a senior minister in this forest kingdom. Come with me to the king's palace. Our king needs a bodyguard, who has the experience of town life. You will live in the palace and eat a lot of green grass growing around it ' "

The donkey was very happy to listen to all this from the minister fox of the forest kingdom. He proceeded with him to the royal palace.

Seeing a,donkey before him the king lion became highly impatient and pounced upon him immediately. But on account of constant hunger, the king lion had gone weak. He couldn't overpower the donkey. The donkey freed himself and ran for his life.

"Your Majesty," said the fox to king lion, "you shouldn't have acted in such a haste. You have scared your prey."

"I'm sorry," said king lion. "Try to bring him here once again."

The hungry fox went again to the donkey and said to him, "What a funny fellow you are. Why did you run away like that?"

"Why shouldn't IT' asked the donkey.

"My dear," said the fox, "you were being tested for your alertness as a royal bodyguard of the king. Thank god, you showed a quick reflex, otherwise, you would have been rejected for the job."

The donkey believed what the fox said and accompanied him once again to the palace. There at the palace the king lion was hiding behind the thick bushes. As soon as the donkey passed by the bushes, the lion pounced upon him and killed him instantly.

Just when the lion was about to begin eating the donkey, the fox said, "Your Majesty, you're going to have your meals after quite a few days. It's better you first take a bath and offer prayers."

"Hmm!" the king lion roared and said to the fox, "Stay here. I'll be back right now."

The lion went to take bath and offer his prayers. In the meantime, the fox ate the donkey's brain. When the king lion came back to eat his prey, he was surprised to see that the donkey's brain was missing.

"Where is this donkey's brain?" The king lion roared in great anger.

"The donkey's brain!" the fox expressed his surprise. "Your Majesty, you're fully aware that donkeys don't have a brain. Had that donkey ever had a brain, he would never have come with me to this palace for the second time."

"Yes," agreed king lion, "that's the point."

And he started eating happily the rest of the flesh of the dead donkey.

THE MARRIAGE OF A SNAKE

MORAL:After rains comes the sunshine

There lived a Brahmin and his wife in a small ' village. The Brahmin couple had no children. They prayed day and night to God in order to be blessed with a child.

After years of praying, their wishes materialised and they were blessed with a child. But to everybody's shock, the child was a snake and not a normal human baby. The Brahmin couple was advised by their friends and relatives to get rid of the snake, as quickly as possible.

But the Brahmin's wife didn't listen to their suggestions and continued to look after the snake as her own baby.

Years passed by and the snake grew up bigger and bigger, till he reached the age of marriage. Now the Brahmin couple started looking for a suitable girl for their snake son.

The Brahmin went from village to village and town to town in search of a suitable girl, but all in vain. "How can a human being marry our snake child?" said the Brahmin to his wife. But his wife insisted for a suitable match for her son.

Having lost all the hopes from all sides, the Brahmin approached one of his old friends. He narrated his problem to his friend. "Oh! you should've told me about it earlier," said his friend. "I'm myself looking for a suitable match for my daughter. I shall be too happy to give her in marriage with your snake son."

The Brahmin couldn't believe his ears. But the marriage was solemnized despite protests. The girl was herself adamant to marry Brahmin's son, be it a snake, no matter.

After marriage the newly married couple-the girl and the snakestarted to live like an ideal wife and husband. The girl looked after her husband's comforts dutifully. -Her husband-the snake-slept beside his wife coiled in a basket.

One night, the snake crawled out of the basket into a room. After a few moments a young man came out of the room. He woke up the girl. The girl seeing a man in his room was about to scream when the young man said to her, "Don't be foolish. I'm your husband."

The girl didn't believe the young man. She said, "Show it to me before my eyes. I still don't believe it."

So the young man again slipped into the empty shell of the snake and then came out of it again transformed into a man. The girl became very happy to find such a husband. When the Brahmin and his wife came to know of this secret, they too became very happy.

One night, the Brahmin kept a watch over his son. As soon as his son came out of the snake's body transformed into a young man, the

Brahmin got hold of the snake's empty outer covering and threw it into the fire.

Then his son came to him and said, "Father, you've saved my life. Now, I can ..never be transformed into a snake. My outer covering has been destroyed in fire and with it has ended the long curse upon me."

So the Brahmin, his wife, son and daughter-in-law, all began to live a happy life, thereafter. The villagers too were happy to see them leading a normal and healthy life.

DEATH AND LORD INDRA'S PARROT

MORAL:Everyone who takes birth in this world has to die one day

It was a meeting of all the gods in heaven. Lord Indra was also sitting on his thrown. His favourite parrot was perched on one of the arms of the throne. Lord Indra loved his parrot very much.

Soon, thereafter, the arrival of Lord of Death was announced. The next moment, entered the Lord of Death in the conference hall. The Lord of Death cast a glance at the parrot and smiled. Seeing him smiling, the parrot began trembling with fear, as it knew that the smile of Lord of Death must have some meaning and it could not be without reason. Seeing the parrot trembling with fear, the gods requested Lord of Death to spare parrot's life as it was very dear to Lord Indra.

"I've no authority in such matters," said Lord of Death. "You'll have to speak to Destiny in this respect."

So the request to spare the life of parrot was made to Destiny. But Destiny too expressed her inability to take a final decision with respect to the life and death of Lord Indra's parrot. Destiny said, "I'm afraid, you would have to approach Death, who will pass the final judgement in the matter."

The matter was, at last, referred to Death. And the moment Death looked at the parrot, it died. The gods became sad.

Lord of Death consoled them. "Death is the final Destiny of every living being. Be it a king or a beggar. There is no escape from this universal truth."

THE MONGOOSE AND THE BABY IN THE CRADLE

Once upon a time, there lived a poor Brahmin named Dev Sharma with his wife in a small village. The Brahmin used to perform puja in religious functions taking place in nearby villages. They had no children. They offered prayers to god for a child. At last, a son was born to them.

The Brahmin's wife had a mongoose as her pet. The mongoose was very playful. He used to guard the Brahmin's house and also looked after the baby, while it slept in the cradle.

Once, some people came to invite the Brahmin for performing puja in their house. The Brahmin was in a quandary. Should he go to perform puja or stay home to look after his baby? His wife had also gone to fetch water from the well situated on the outskirts of the village.

The Brahmin didn't want to leave the baby all alone in the house, even though the mongoose was sitting there beside the cradle like a baby sitter. He was in a state of perplexity. But at last he buckled under the pressure and went to the nearby village to conduct the religious ceremony, leaving the baby all alone in the house.

The mongoose still sat beside the cradle guarding the baby. Suddenly, he saw a big black snake crawling towards the cradle. Being a natural enemy of snakes and also having the responsibility of guarding the baby, he pounced upon the snake. After a fierce fighting with the snake the mongoose killed it.

But the mouth and paws of the mongoose were smeared with the snake's blood. The mongoose was happy that he had done his duty faithfully and had saved the baby from the snake. He ran to the main entrance of the house and sat there waiting for his master's wife to come back. He thought that she would be highly impressed with his performance and shall reward him suitably.

After sometime, the Brahmin's wife came along with the water pitcher on her head. She saw the paws and mouth of the mongoose smeared in blood.

She thought that the mongoose had killed her baby. In a fit of rage, she threw the heavy water pitcher on the head of the mongoose. The mongoose died on the spot.

The Brahmin'os wife now went running inside the house. There she saw a big black snake lying dead. The baby was sleeping safe in the cradle. Now she realised that she was greatly mistaken, and the mongoose had, in fact, saved her child. She began repenting and weeping. She had killed her faithful pet without knowing what had really happened.