Many years ago, there was a banyan tree in a jungle. A crane lived on that banyan tree, and beneath the tree, there was a snake in a hole. That snake was very wicked. To satisfy its hunger, it would eat the crane’s small chicks. This made the poor crane very distressed.
One day, fed up with the snake’s actions, the crane went to the riverside and sat down. While sitting there, tears rolled down its eyes. Seeing the crane crying, a crab emerged from the river and asked, “Hey, Mr. Crane, what’s the matter? Why are you crying here? What’s troubling you?”
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Upon hearing the crab’s inquiry, the crane said, “What should I tell you, dear crab? I’m troubled by that snake. It repeatedly eats my chicks. No matter how high I build the nest, it manages to climb up and devour them. Now, because of it, it has become difficult for me to go far from home to fetch food for my family. Can you suggest any solution?”
Upon hearing the crab’s inquiry, the crane said, “What should I tell you, dear crab? I’m troubled by that snake. It repeatedly eats my chicks. No matter how high I build the nest, it manages to climb up and devour them. Now, because of it, it has become difficult for me to go far from home to fetch food for my family. Can you suggest any solution?”
Hearing the crane’s plight, the crab thought that the crane also eats its family members and friends to satisfy its hunger. Why not come up with a solution that ends the game for both the snake and the crane? This gave the crab an idea.
It said to the crane, “Do one thing, Mr. Crane. There is a pit near your tree that belongs to the mango tree. Spread some pieces of meat from the snake’s hole to the mango tree’s pit. When the pit reaches the snake’s hole while eating the meat, it will also attack the snake.”
The crane found this idea suitable and did exactly as the crab suggested. However, it also had to face the consequences of this action. While eating the meat, when the pit reached near the tree, it made both the snake and the crane its prey.
Lesson from the story:
Friends, from this story, we learn that we should not blindly believe anyone’s words without thinking. We should also consider the consequences and aftermath of actions.
