WRITTEN BY LONDON SWAMINATHAN

Post No.7715

Date uploaded in London – 19 March 2020   

Contact – swami_48@yahoo.com

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A jackal which had been beaten by the rain and wind, and three days without getting any prey came out with great hunger to seek for food. Under a banyan tree in the road there was a pair of sandals left behind by a firewood cutter, wetted and well soaked by the rain. The jackal seeing the sandals and wishing to eat, thinking that the owner of the sandals was nearby said,

“Sir, can I eat one of the sandals? If you give me one sandal, I will give you one gold coin which I got it from a merchan”t. An invisible ghost inhabiting the tree said,

“Well , I will give you one sandal. I agree with your proposal”.

Immediately on hearing that, the jackal ate one sandal. As he was coming away after eating the first sandal , it did not see any one there. It said to itself, if I remain here any longer I must give the money. So let me run as fast as I can. So running very swiftly for a great distance, it sat under a tree and took rest. Suddenly a voice came from somewhere.

“Hey, where’s the gold coin?”

The jackal got scared and ran faster. It got hurt while running. The thorns, stones and tree stumps gave him bloody injuries. The wounded jackal hid himself in a thicket of bush. The importunate creditor came there also. The invisible ghost asked, “Hey, where’s the gold coin?”

Now the jackal wanted to use its usual cunningness. It got bold and asked, “What gold coin you are talking about? Which jackal did promise you a gold coin, for what?

Did it have injured legs and bloody wounds?”

The invisible ghost said,

“The gold coin you promised me to give for the sandal.”

The jackal said,

“Oh you are talking about someone else.

Did that jackal was blind and lame?”

“No it was not”, said the ghost.

“Then go away, it was not I”.

The ghost being surprised at its craftiness vanished away.

Xxx

Haste makes Waste

A man reared a dog. It was clever in hunting and other sports. When someone needed the dog for hunting that person hired the dog. The person used to place some deposit money with the dog owner as security in addition to the hiring charge.

While things were in this state one night a thief came to the house of the man who hired the dog. The thief came down the chimney and took out bags full of money and jewels. The dog which was there at the time jumped on him and bit him to death. Then it woke his master by barking. When he came out and saw what the dog had done he felt very happy. He was much pleased and the very next morning, tying round the dog’s neck a ‘thanks message’ and sent the dog back to it’s owner. Dogs always find their home easily. And in the note he wrote that he did not even need the security deposit back, because the dog did a great job. When he said ‘Go to your Master’, it reached master’s house expecting a pat and hug from it’s master.

But the master came to hasty conclusion. ‘Oh, oh! It is coming back tricking my friend and breaking my bargain’. He took a strong pole and gave a blow on its head saying ‘go back to friend’s house’. The poor dog died on the spot. When he untied the chain from the dog, he saw the thanking note. He felt very sad for killing the dog.

There is a similar story in the Sanskrit

Panchatantra fables and Tamil epic Silappadikaram about a mongoose. While a house woman went out to fetch water from the village tank a snake came near her child. Her pet mongoose used to guard the house. Seeing the snake, the mongoose fought with it and killed it. It was waiting at the entrance of the house to welcome the house woman. When she came back with a pot full of water and saw the blood-stained mouth of the mongoose, she thought it killed her baby. She threw the water pot on its head and it died on the spot.

Moral

Never jump to conclusions. Be considerate. Don’t take any hasty action.

tags Mongoose, snake, jackal,sandal, ghost, dog

Xxx Subham xxxx