Years ago, there were several animals living in a dense jungle. Among them was a lion, and in his service, there were always a fox, a wolf, a cheetah, and an eagle. The lion appointed the fox as his secretary, the cheetah as his bodyguard, and the wolf as his home minister. Besides these, the cheetah brought news from far and wide, acting as a news bearer for the lion.
Despite the lion giving them high positions, other animals referred to them as a sycophantic group. Everyone knew that these four did little or no work, but they excelled in flattering the lion.
Every day, the animals would praise the lion, making him happy. When the lion made a kill, after satisfying his hunger, he would distribute the remaining prey among the animals in his special positions. This way, the fox, wolf, cheetah, and eagle lived a comfortable life.
One day, the news-bearing eagle informed the lion that an ostrich had been sitting near the road for quite some time.
Upon hearing this, the wolf asked if the ostrich had separated from its caravan. The cheetah, after hearing the question, said that regardless, they could make it their prey, and it would feed them for many days.
Accepting this, the fox said, “Alright, I will go and discuss this with the king.”
After saying this, the fox went straight to the lion and, with great respect, said, “Your Majesty! Our messenger has brought news that an ostrich is sitting near our territory. Someone told me that the meat of the animals humans domesticate is quite delicious, fit for kings. If you permit, I can declare that the ostrich is your prey.”
Seeing the fox’s clever words, the lion agreed. He went to the location where the ostrich was. The lion observed that the ostrich was quite weak, with yellowing eyes. It was a sight the lion hadn’t seen before. The ostrich, in a feeble voice, explained that a human had domesticated him for a long time. Now that he was sick, the human left him alone, thinking he was of no use. Consequently, he was not being cared for or treated.
Feeling sympathy, the lion decided that the ostrich would stay in the jungle with them. No one would harm him, and an announcement was made that no animal in the jungle would hunt the ostrich.
Witnessing the lion’s compassion, the sycophantic animals were dumbfounded. In a low voice, the wolf said that they could somehow arrange for the ostrich’s death later. For now, they should follow the orders of the jungle king.
The ostrich now lived peacefully in the jungle. Eating fresh green grass, he became healthy again. He always showed respect to the lion, and the lion had feelings of kindness and love for him. Now, the lion used the healthy ostrich to pull his royal chariot, and the fox, wolf, cheetah, and eagle occupied their designated positions on the ostrich’s back.
One day, the sycophantic animals convinced the lion to hunt an elephant for them. The king agreed, but the elephant turned out to be wild and attacked the lion fiercely. Though the lion managed to escape, he suffered severe injuries.
Now, the sick lion had to find a way to live his life without hunting. The sycophantic animals were hungry, and the lion’s thoughts turned to the once-ignored ostrich. His servants proposed that they could somehow manage to kill the ostrich. The cheetah, wolf, and eagle attacked the ostrich together, and in a short time, the ostrich was dead.
The moral of the story is that one should not keep sycophantic people around. They always think of their own interests.
