STORIES FROM PANCHTANTRA

THE SNAKE AND MONGOOSE

Once there lived a noble man in a village called Dharmapuri. One day, his wife gave birth to a child and the couple were very happy. It happened that on the very same day a mongoose gave birth to a pup (baby mongoose) near to the noble man’s house.

Unfortunately, the mother mongoose died soon after the birth of its pup. Seeing this, the noble man took pity on him and the couple adopted the pup and started looking after him as their own child. The mother fed the pup as she fed her own child, and the two grew together. The little ones were fond of their mother and they had a strong bond between them. However, the mother was alert. She believed that the pup will start showing the animal instincts as it grows into a mongoose. She always cautioned her husband to keep a watch on the animal.

One day, as she went out for fetching some water from the nearby river, she left her child and the pup with her husband. However, the man was a bit careless and he left the house for meeting the village chief without informing his wife. When he met his wife on his way, “Where are you going? Did you leave the baby with that mongoose?” she asked.

“Oh, they are playing in the house,” he replied to her and walked away.

Meanwhile, a snake sneaked into the house where the boy and the pup was playing. Seeing the snake, the pup acted swiftly and killed the creature. The blood was spread all over his face. However, he was happy that he could save the child. He wanted to show what he had done to get appreciation from the mother and waited for her in yard.

The mother who rushed back to home saw the pup with blood all over his face. Worries that she had in her thoughts manipulated her. She concluded that the pup must have attacked her child. Without thinking another thing she threw the pot of water that she carried over the mongoose and wounded the animal.

When she walked in to see that her son is sitting and playing, and a snake was bitten and killed by the mongoose, she realized the mistake that she had done.

Moral of Mongoose and Snake Moral Story: Think before you act.