A lion named Manik dwelt in a forest. He had three friends: a wolf, a crow, and a jackal. Because he was the king of the forest, they had developed a close relationship with the lion. They were always at the lion's disposal and submitted to him in order to further their own agendas. But, they were very selfish and just wanted the power that comes with being associated with someone powerful
One day, a camel was grazing in the jungle when it became lost and lost its way. He made numerous attempts to escape, but was unsuccessful.
These three lion's companions observed the camel wandering about.
"He doesn't seem to be from our forest," the jackal observed to his companions. "Let's hunt and eat him."
"No," the wolf replied. "It's a massive beast. Let us go tell our king, the lion."
"Yes, this is a good idea," the crow agreed. "After the king kills the came, we can take our share ." After making their decision, the three went to meet the lion.
"Your Majesty, a camel from another forest has entered your kingdom without your permission," the jackal explained.. He might turn out to be our best meal. Let us hunt him ".
Hearing his pals' counsel, the lion roared in rage and exclaimed, "What are you on about? The camel is my guest. We should provide him with refuge rather than kill him. Go get him and bring him to me."
Hearing the lion's remarks, the three got quite dejected. But they were powerless. So, with no other choice, they went to the camel and told him about the lion's request to meet him and have dinner with him.
The camel was terrified when he learned about this. He submitted himself to fate, believing that his last moment had arrived and that he would soon be killed by the king of the forest, and went to meet the lion in his lair.The lion, on the other hand, was overjoyed to see him. He spoke to him softly and promised him that he would be secure in the jungle as long as he stayed there. The camel was stunned and overjoyed to hear the lion's comments. He began to live with the jackal, wolf, and crow.
The camel tried to be friends with the other three. They also pretended to be the camel’s friends. The camel always felt a bit uncomfortable, but he chose to ignore his instincts. The other three would talk in secret and sign language and when the camel asked them about it, they would just laugh it off. The camel thought that this could be a way of the new forest he was a part of and did not give it much thought
One day, the lion had very bad luck. He had a confrontation with a large elephant one day while foraging for food with his companions. The brawl was so intense that all three of his pals fled the scene in fear. During the struggle, the lion was gravely injured. Despite the fact that he killed the elephant, he became unable to forage for food. He had to go without meals day after day. His companions had to go without food for days because they were fully dependent on the lion's prey. The camel, on the other hand, grazed happily.
One day, the lion's three friends—the jackal, the wolf, and the crow—came up to him and said, "Your Majesty, you're getting weaker by the day. We can't watch you in this pitiful state. Why don't you slaughter and devour the camel?"
""No, he is our guest," roared the lion. We can't kill him. Please refrain from making similar proposals to me in the future."
But the jackal, wolf, and crow had a scheme . They regrouped and devised a plot to kill the camel.
They approached the camel and said, "My dear friend, you are aware that our king has been fasting for several days. Due to his injuries and physical disability, he is unable to go hunting. Under these circumstances, it becomes our obligation to sacrifice ourselves in order to save our king's life. Let us go to our monarch and offer our bodies as food for him."The innocent camel had no idea what they were up to. He nodded and agreed to their suggestion.
All four of them made it to the lion's lair. "Your Majesty, despite our best attempts, we couldn't find any prey," the jackal told the lion.The crow was the first to offer himself for the great cause."So you can eat me and satisfy your hunger," the crow said to the lion.
"Your body is too little," the jackal replied. "How can the king satisfy his appetite by eating you?"
The jackal offered the lion his own body as nourishment. He stated, "I present myself, Your Majesty. It is my solemn responsibility to save your life."
"No, you, too, are too small to satisfy our King's hunger," the wolf replied. I volunteer for this worthy task. Your Majesty, kill and eat me "He murmured this while lying prostrate in front of the lion.
However, the lion did not kill any of them.The camel stood close, watching all that was going on. He also decided to go ahead and complete the formality.
He took a step forward and replied, "Why shouldn't I, Your Majesty? You're my pal. A buddy in need is a true friend. Please have me as your meal”
The lion appreciated the camel's suggestion. Since the camel himself had given his body for nourishment, his conscience was unaffected, and the jackal had previously informed the lion of the camel's strong willingness to sacrifice himself for the sake of the king. He rushed on the camel right away and tore him apart. For days, the lion and his buddies feasted on delicious food.
Moral of the story:
We must always be careful. We must make sure that we trust people before we make them into our friends. The Camel should never have ignored his instinct and the odd behaviour of the other three animals . We should never force ourselves into situations that make us uncomfortable for the sake of being part of a group
This is originally a story from the Panchantantra tales and has been re told by the Ekdali editorial team.
