In a forest, there lived a lion named Bhaka. He was a powerful and lacked empathy. He used to kill forest creatures for sport. It is one thing to kill them to eat, but killing without necessity made him a cruel animal. . This became a source of concern for all of the animals. They discussed the issue among themselves and eventually decided to meet with the lion and reach an arrangement with him, putting an end to this trauma
So, one day, all the creatures of the jungle gathered beneath a large tree. They also invited King Lion to the gathering. "Your Majesty, we are delighted that you are our king," the animals exclaimed to King Lion during the meeting. We are even more happy that you are presiding over the meeting." King Lion thanked them and inquired, "Why have we gathered here?" The animals all started staring at each other. They had to get the confidence to bring up the subject. "Sir," one of the animals remarked, "it's natural that you kill us for food. However, killimh more than is necessary is not great. If you continue to slaughter animals for no reason, there will soon be no animals left in the jungle."
The Lion was angry but the logic was good, so he listened
"Your Majesty, we discussed the problem and came up with a solution. We've chosen to send one animal to your den every day. This will spare you the bother of hunting, and you will not have to slaughter a large number of animals for your meals."
"Good," the lion replied. "I agree to this suggestion, but the animals must reach me on time, otherwise I will be very angry"
This proposition was accepted by the animals. Every day, one animal entered the lion's lair to become his meal. The lion, too, was overjoyed to have his dinner right in front of him.
There was a clever hare, who had already started thinking of how to solve the problem. He had discussed with his family and come up with an idea.It was this hare's turn to enter the lion's cave one day. The little hare was reluctant to go to the lion's den and become a meal for the lion, but the other animals persuaded him to.
He arrived a bit later than the agreed upon time.""I am not to responsible for that, Your Majesty," the hare responded with folded hands. I arrived late because another lion began hunting me and threatening to eat me. He claimed to be the king of the jiungle as well."
The king lion roared angrily and shouted, "There can't possibly be another ruler in this jungle. What is his name? I'm going to kill him. Please show me where he lives."
The lion and hare moved out to confront the other lion. The hare led the lion to a deep well filled with water.When they got close to the well, the hare remarked to the lion, "He resides in this location. He could be hidden somewhere inside."The lion roared again, climbed up the well, and peered inside. He noticed his own reflection in the water and assumed the other lion was questioning his authority. He lost his cool."I must kill him," the lion thought to himself as he sprang into the well. He was quickly drowned.
The hare was overjoyed. He returned to the other animals and told them the entire story. All of the animals breathed a sigh of relief and complimented him for his smartness
Moral of the Story:
This is a timeless panchantantra tale told to showcase that if we think and plan ahead like the rabbit in this case we would be able to overcome any tough situation life throws at us. It is also a great story to teach children that empathy is important and mindless aggressiveness never leads to success in the long run.
Why short stories ?
Short stories are a great way to build empathy in kids.
Short stories are a great way to teach kids life lessons.
Short stories are great conversation starters between parent and child.
On the note of conversation starters have you seen our conversation starter posters, maps and flashcards for kids?
