Hello,
My name is Amita and welcome back to the series of Panchatantra short stories.
So Panchatantra stories are the oldest surviving fables from ancient India.
These are spread all over the world for centuries,
Especially as bedtime stories for kids.
So I am starting this Panchatantra series of 60 stories.
Hope you like it.
Panchatantra's work was made due to lack of food.
Unable to bear the hunger anymore he hit upon a plant.
As planned,
He sat at the edge of the lake for everybody to see and began crying.
On seeing this,
A crab took pity on him and went near.
Uncle,
What is the matter?
Why are you crying instead of catching fishes?
Continuing to pretend,
The heron replied,
My child,
I would not touch any fish any more.
I have decided to renounce all worldly matters and vow to take a fast into death.
The crab asked.
If you indeed renounced worldly matters,
Why is it that you cry?
The heron explained,
My child,
I have been in this lake from my birth.
I have grown here and it now that I have grown so old that I hear this lake will dry up.
There will be no more rains for the next 12 years.
The crab was surprised to hear this.
Uncle,
Please tell me if it is true.
Please tell me where you have heard such a thing.
The heron replied,
I have heard the news from a wise astrologer that there will be no rains for the next 12 years.
You see,
There is already not much water in the lake and very soon,
Due to lack of rains,
The lake will dry up completely very,
Very soon.
The crab was taken aback by the news of what is to befall on them and went to tell this to the other water creatures.
On hearing this piece of news,
Everybody started to panic.
They believed the heron and he was not trying to catch any fish at all.
So they met the heron to seek advice.
Please,
Please guide us to save us from this disaster.
The heron said,
There is indeed a lake not far from here.
It is full of water and beautifully covered with lotus flowers.
There is not much water in the lake and that it would not dry even if it did not rain for 24 years.
I can take you there if you can ride on my back.
He had already gained their confidence,
So they gathered around him and requested to carry them one at a time to the other lake and save them.
The wicked heron had succeeded in his plan.
Every day he would carry one of them on his back,
Pretending to take them to the other lake.
And flying a little away from their lake,
He would smash them against the rock and eat them up.
He would then return after some time to the lake and relate false messages how they are happy in the other lake.
This happened for many,
Many days when the crabs said to the heron,
Uncle,
You take others to the lake,
But it is me who is your first friend.
Please take me to the other lake to save my life.
The heron was happy to hear this.
He thought to himself,
Having a fish every day has become monotonous.
It is good that I will get to eat a crab today for a change.
Having thus decided,
The heron started carrying the crab to the same rock.
The crab looked down from above and saw a heap of bones and skeletons.
At once the crab understood what the heron was up to.
But still he remained calm and said to the heron,
Uncle,
The lake seems far and I am quite heavy.
You must be getting tired,
So let us stop for some rest.
The heron was confident that there was no way the crab can escape from him in the sky.
The heron replied,
There is no lake for real.
This is,
This trip is for my own meal.
As I do every day,
I will smash you against the rock and make a meal out of you.
When the heron confessed the truth,
The crab got hold of the heron's neck with its strong claws and strangled him to death.
The crab laughed at himself that he had saved himself and the other water creatures from the trick played by the heron.
He dragged the heron back to the lake.
The other water creatures in the lake were surprised to see him back.
They were curious and they asked all sorts of questions.
To which the crab replied and laughed,
We were being made fools.
The heron was an imposter and what he told about the lake drying up was all false.
He was taking one of us every day for his meal in a rock not far from here.
He proudly said,
I understood what he was up to and have killed that strict stir.
There is no need to worry for we are safe in this lake.
It is not going to dry up at all.
And thus they all lived happily ever after.
Moral of the story,
When things go wrong,
Use your wit to overcome the situation.
