The greedy elephant

Once upon a time, in a dense jungle, there lived an elephant.A pack of jackals, passing by in search of food, noticed the elephant. "N...

Once upon a time, in a dense jungle, there lived an elephant.

A pack of jackals, passing by in search of food, noticed the elephant. "Now if this elephant were to die one way or another," they said to themselves, "we would have enough food for several months."

An old jackal said, "I shall cleverly bring about his death." The sly, old jackal went over to the elephant, bowed before him and said, "My Lord! Grant me the honour of your royal glance for a moment."

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"Who are you and why have you come to me?" asked the elephant.

"I am only a humble jackal," he replied. "Recently all the animals in this forest got together and came to the conclusion that it’s difficult to stay alive without the protection of a king. And you, who are gifted with all the qualities of a monarch, have been chosen by us to be our king. Our astrologers have informed us that today is an auspicious day for your crowning. The day is fast slipping by. So please follow me without delay, for the ceremony."

Then the jackal moved on.The elephant was flattered by the jackal’s talk and greedy for a kingdom, he followed the jackal. The jackal walked across a lake full of mud. The elephant being heavy, got stuck in the mud. He tried very hard to get out, but all in vain. "Friend!" called the elephant in panic. "What shall I do? I’m sinking deep into mud. I am going to die."

"My Lord! Catch hold of my tail and I’ll help you out," said the jackal with a cunning smile. "You put faith in a person like me. Well, now — pay for it." And he let the elephant sink into the mud.

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Quite soon the elephant was dead and he was eaten up by the jackals. A truly smart elephant would never have been taken in by the sweet words of a rogue.

Translated by G L Chandiramani