The Foolish Crane and the Mongoose

(Story found in:

Franklin Edgerton's reconstruction
Durgasimha's Kannada translation
Purnabhadra's recension
Hitopadesha by Narayana )
There was a huge Banyan tree beside a lake, which nested a number of cranes.
In the hollow at the foot of the tree lived a poisonous black snake. He used to
climb up and eat the crane's youngs after they were hatched.
One crane, who had lost her children to the cunning black snake, started weeping
on the banks of the lake.
A crab, who was nearby, heard the crane weeping, and asked, "Why do you cry, aun
ty?"
The crane replied, "I am the unlucky mother, all of whose children have been eat
en by the wicked black snake, who lives in the hollow of the tree. What else can
I do but weep? I would have killed the snake if I could!"
The crab thought for a while, "I have to devise a plan to have the black snake k
illed, and have the cranes destroyed at the same time. The cranes are our natura
l enemy. I will tell him half truth and half lies, to my advantage."
Thinking so, the crab said to the crane, "Aunty! I will tell you a plan to get r
id of the black snake. All you have to do is scatter some fish and flesh from a
nearby burrow, where a mongoose lives, to the snake's hollow. When the mongoose
will come following the food and reach the snake's home, he will certainly kill
him!"
The crane agreed to do as the crab planned. As anticipated, the mongoose saw the
black snake while following the trail of food. They had a fight, and the mongoo
se killed the snake.
After this, the mongoose realized that there were many cranes on the top of the
trees. In due course of time, the mongoose climbed up the trees and started kill
ing the cranes, till all the cranes were destroyed.
The wise indeed say:
The solution of the problem should not be worse than the problem itself. That is
, while trying to solve the problem, you should not complicate the problem furth
er.
Right-Mind and Wrong-Mind

The Rat that ate Iron

The Foolish Crane and the Mongoo

se
(Story found in:
Franklin Edgerton's reconstruction
Durgasimha's Kannada translation
Purnabhadra's recension
Hitopadesha by Narayana )
There was a huge Banyan tree beside a lake, which nested a number of cranes.
In the hollow at the foot of the tree lived a poisonous black snake. He used to
climb up and eat the crane's youngs after they were hatched.
One crane, who had lost her children to the cunning black snake, started weeping
on the banks of the lake.

A crab, who was nearby, heard the crane weeping, and asked, "Why do you cry, aun
ty?"
The crane replied, "I am the unlucky mother, all of whose children have been eat
en by the wicked black snake, who lives in the hollow of the tree. What else can
I do but weep? I would have killed the snake if I could!"
The crab thought for a while, "I have to devise a plan to have the black snake k
illed, and have the cranes destroyed at the same time. The cranes are our natura
l enemy. I will tell him half truth and half lies, to my advantage."
Thinking so, the crab said to the crane, "Aunty! I will tell you a plan to get r
id of the black snake. All you have to do is scatter some fish and flesh from a
nearby burrow, where a mongoose lives, to the snake's hollow. When the mongoose
will come following the food and reach the snake's home, he will certainly kill
him!"
The crane agreed to do as the crab planned. As anticipated, the mongoose saw the
black snake while following the trail of food. They had a fight, and the mongoo
se killed the snake.
After this, the mongoose realized that there were many cranes on the top of the
trees. In due course of time, the mongoose climbed up the trees and started kill
ing the cranes, till all the cranes were destroyed.
The wise indeed say:
The solution of the problem should not be worse than the problem itself. That is
, while trying to solve the problem, you should not complicate the problem furth
er.
Right-Mind and Wrong-Mind

The Rat that ate Iron