The Cobra and the Crows
The moral of this story: Even a very powerful enemy can be defeated through cleverness and deceit.
Once upon a time, there was a big banyan tree where two crows, a husband and wife, had built a cozy nest and made it their home. In the hollow of the same tree lived a black cobra. The crows had a big problem because the cobra would climb up the tree and eat their newborn babies whenever the female crow hatched her eggs. They felt helpless and didn’t know how to protect their children.
So the crows went to seek advice from a jackal who lived in a nearby banyan tree. They told him about their problem with the cobra and asked for his help in getting rid of it. The jackal listened carefully and then said, “Don’t give up. Even powerful enemies can be overcome with wit.”
The crows were encouraged by the jackal’s words and asked him how they could defeat the wicked cobra. The jackal told them his plan: “Fly to the capital of the kingdom, not far from here. Find a wealthy but careless person’s house and look for something valuable lying around. When you find it, pick it up while the servants are watching you.”
He continued, “Fly slowly so that the servants can follow you. Lead them back to your tree and drop the valuable item in the hollow where the cobra lives. When the servants see the cobra, they will kill it to recover the item.”
The crows decided to follow the jackal’s advice and flew off to the capital. As they flew over the city, the female crow spotted some wealthy women swimming in a lake. They had left their gold and pearl necklaces on the bank of the lake, guarded by royal servants.
The female crow swooped down and picked up one of the necklaces in her beak. She started flying slowly so that the royal servants could follow her. They chased after her, throwing sticks and stones.
As planned, she led them back to her tree and dropped the necklace in front of the hollow where the black cobra was sleeping. She perched on a branch and waited for them to arrive.
When they got there, the black cobra came out of his hollow to see what all the commotion was about. He confronted the king’s servants with his hood raised, but they attacked him with sticks and stones to recover the necklace.
In the end, they killed the wicked cobra and returned with their necklace. And the crows, now free from danger, lived happily ever after.
The moral of this story “The Cobra and the Crows” is that even a very powerful enemy can be defeated through cleverness and deceit.