This is the story of a jungle where a lazy crane used to live. It was so lazy that it couldn’t be bothered to do any work, not even to find food for itself. Due to its laziness, the crane often had to go hungry for the whole day. Standing on one leg by the riverside, the crane would spend its day thinking of ways to get food without exerting any effort.
One day, while contemplating its usual plan, the crane came up with an idea. It immediately set out to make this plan successful. The crane went to a secluded corner by the riverside, started shedding crocodile tears, making it look like it was crying. Seeing the crane crying, a crab approached and asked, “Hey Crane, what’s the matter? Why are you crying?” Upon hearing this, the crane, still sobbing, said, “What should I tell you, Crab brother? I feel so remorseful for my actions. To satisfy my hunger,Â
I have killed countless fish until now. I was so selfish. But today, I have realized the consequences of my deeds, and I have pledged not to catch a single fish anymore.”
Hearing this, the crab said, “If you stop catching fish, you’ll end up starving to death.” To this, the crane replied, “It’s better to die of hunger than to fill my stomach by taking someone else’s life, brother. Besides, I met a sage yesterday, and he told me that a severe drought is imminent, lasting for twelve years, which will lead to the death of all living beings.”
The crab went and informed all the creatures in the pond about the impending drought. Surprised, a turtle asked, “So, what’s the solution?” Hearing this, the crane replied, “There’s a pond a short distance away from here. We can all go and live there. The water never dries up there. I can carry each one of you on my back and take you there.” Hearing this, all the animals were delighted.
From the next day onwards, the crane started carrying one creature at a time to a distant pond, dropping them onto a rock. Many times, it carried two creatures at once, satisfying its hunger with a feast. The rock began accumulating the bones of the transported animals. The crane thought to itself how gullible the world was to fall for its scheme so easily.
This went on for several days. One day, the crab asked, “Crane brother, when is my turn coming?” The crane replied, “Alright, today, I’ll take you.” Saying this, it carried the crab on its back and flew towards the rock.
When they reached the rock and the crab saw the bones of other animals, its instincts kicked in. It asked the crane about the origin of those bones and the distance to the pond. The crane burst into laughter and revealed that there was no pond and that it had fooled them all. The crab, in response, grabbed the crane’s neck with its claws. In a short while, the crane’s life came to an end.
Afterward, the crab returned to the pond and shared the entire story with the other animals, who expressed their gratitude to the crab for exposing the deceit.
