This is one of the interesting fable from the Panchatantra collection.The Panchatantra is very well known fables collection in India. In every story of the Panchatantra, there must be an educational lesson and we consider as a moral of the story.
Once there was a foolish donkey lived in a town. The town was situated near a forest. In that forest there lived a lion as the jungle king and his minister, a cunning fox. Once, the king lion was badly wounded in a ferocious fighting with an elephant. He became unable to hunt for his hunger. So the lion asked his minister, the cunning fox to bring some good meal for him. As the fox used to share the victim, that king lion hunted for his meals. So the fox then set out to search for food.
While traveling here and there, the fox met a donkey. The donkey looked foolish, nervous and hungry. The fox asked him, "Hello! You seem to be new to this forest. Where do you actually come from?"
"I come from the nearby town", said the foolish donkey. "My master, the dhobi makes me work all day, but doesn't feed me properly. So I have left my home to find a better place to live in and eat properly."
"I see", said the cunning fox. "Don't worry. I am a senior minister in this forest kingdom. Come with me to the king's palace. Our king needs a bodyguard, who has the experience of town life. You will live in the palace and eat a lot of green grass growing around the whole jungle."
The donkey was very happy to listen that from the minister fox of the forest kingdom. He proceeded with him to the royal palace.
Seeing a donkey before him the king lion became highly excited and pounced upon him immediately. But on account of constant hunger, the king lion had gone weak. He couldn't overpower the donkey. The donkey freed himself from the lion’s paws and ran for his life.
"Your Majesty," said the fox to the lion, "you shouldn't have acted in such a hurry. You have scared your prey."
"I am sorry," said the lion. "Try to bring him here once again."
The hungry fox went again to the donkey and said to him, "What a funny fellow you are. Why did you run away like that?"
"Why should not it?”, asked the donkey to the fox.
"My dear," said the fox, "you were being tested for your alertness as a royal bodyguard of the king. Thank god, you showed a quick reflex, otherwise, you would have been rejected for the job."
The donkey believed what the fox said and accompanied him once again to the palace. There at the palace the king lion was hiding behind the bushes. As soon as the donkey passed by the bushes, the lion pounced upon him and killed him instantly.
Just when the lion was about to begin eating the donkey, the fox said, "Your Majesty, you are going to have your meals after quite a few days. It is better for you to take a bath first and offer prayers."
"Oh, Yes!" the king lion agreed and said to the fox, "Stay here. I will be back right now."
The lion went to take bath and offer his prayers. In the meantime, the fox ate the donkey's brain. When the king lion came back to eat his prey, he was surprised to see that the donkey's brain was missing.
"Where is this donkey's brain?" The king lion roared in great anger.
"The donkey's brain!" the fox expressed his surprise. "Your Majesty, you are fully aware that donkeys don't have a brain. Had that donkey ever had a brain, he would never have come with me to this palace for the second time."
"Yes," agreed the lion, "that is the point."
And then the lion started eating happily the rest of the flesh of the dead donkey.
Moral of the Story: Don’t believe a cunning people, if you know about his character before.
Want to read more fables from the Panchatantra... Click Here
If you want to read more fables from Aesop... Click Here
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| The Donkey and the cunning Fox |
The Donkey and the cunning Fox
- A Fable from the PanchatantraOnce there was a foolish donkey lived in a town. The town was situated near a forest. In that forest there lived a lion as the jungle king and his minister, a cunning fox. Once, the king lion was badly wounded in a ferocious fighting with an elephant. He became unable to hunt for his hunger. So the lion asked his minister, the cunning fox to bring some good meal for him. As the fox used to share the victim, that king lion hunted for his meals. So the fox then set out to search for food.
While traveling here and there, the fox met a donkey. The donkey looked foolish, nervous and hungry. The fox asked him, "Hello! You seem to be new to this forest. Where do you actually come from?"
"I come from the nearby town", said the foolish donkey. "My master, the dhobi makes me work all day, but doesn't feed me properly. So I have left my home to find a better place to live in and eat properly."
"I see", said the cunning fox. "Don't worry. I am a senior minister in this forest kingdom. Come with me to the king's palace. Our king needs a bodyguard, who has the experience of town life. You will live in the palace and eat a lot of green grass growing around the whole jungle."
The donkey was very happy to listen that from the minister fox of the forest kingdom. He proceeded with him to the royal palace.
Seeing a donkey before him the king lion became highly excited and pounced upon him immediately. But on account of constant hunger, the king lion had gone weak. He couldn't overpower the donkey. The donkey freed himself from the lion’s paws and ran for his life.
"Your Majesty," said the fox to the lion, "you shouldn't have acted in such a hurry. You have scared your prey."
"I am sorry," said the lion. "Try to bring him here once again."
The hungry fox went again to the donkey and said to him, "What a funny fellow you are. Why did you run away like that?"
"Why should not it?”, asked the donkey to the fox.
"My dear," said the fox, "you were being tested for your alertness as a royal bodyguard of the king. Thank god, you showed a quick reflex, otherwise, you would have been rejected for the job."
The donkey believed what the fox said and accompanied him once again to the palace. There at the palace the king lion was hiding behind the bushes. As soon as the donkey passed by the bushes, the lion pounced upon him and killed him instantly.
Just when the lion was about to begin eating the donkey, the fox said, "Your Majesty, you are going to have your meals after quite a few days. It is better for you to take a bath first and offer prayers."
"Oh, Yes!" the king lion agreed and said to the fox, "Stay here. I will be back right now."
The lion went to take bath and offer his prayers. In the meantime, the fox ate the donkey's brain. When the king lion came back to eat his prey, he was surprised to see that the donkey's brain was missing.
"Where is this donkey's brain?" The king lion roared in great anger.
"The donkey's brain!" the fox expressed his surprise. "Your Majesty, you are fully aware that donkeys don't have a brain. Had that donkey ever had a brain, he would never have come with me to this palace for the second time."
"Yes," agreed the lion, "that is the point."
And then the lion started eating happily the rest of the flesh of the dead donkey.
Moral of the Story: Don’t believe a cunning people, if you know about his character before.
Want to read more fables from the Panchatantra... Click Here
If you want to read more fables from Aesop... Click Here
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