The Crocodile and the Five Judges

In the dry season, waters in some lakes and ponds dried up. Once there was a male crocodile
crawling out of a lake which had just dried up. Its hard tears in his eyes due to his miseries induced by
having no food and water. It kept crawling till he reached near a cart track where it met a man who
was driving a cart.

The cart-driver asked “where are you going, brother crocodile? ‘I have been without food and
water for days. I have been crawling very hard in search of a place where there is water, but I have
failed to find one. Please save my life by bringing me to a river, “replied the crocodile in a sobbing and
pitiful manner. The cart –driver freed his oxen from the yoke and told the crocodile to crawl up the
front part of the body of cart. Then, he used a rope to tie the crocodile to the body of the cart so
tightly that the crocodile might not fall off. Arriving at a river, the cart-driver untied the crocodile and
let it crawl down into the river.

So ungrateful was the dishonest crocodile that after it had drunk its fill and gained back
strength, it said to the cart-driver: you tied me so tightly that almost choked to death. Now, you must
give me one of your oxen to eat and I will forgive you, or I will eat you right now.

The cart-driver absolutely disagreed. While arguing with the crocodile, the cart-driver spotted
a fisherman owing a boat the middle of the river. He waved his hand, calling the fisherman to help
judge his case.

The fisherman on seeing such the big crocodile felt terrified and thought: if I judge the
crocodile guilty, he will bear me malice and will try to bite me one day and I can find no way to
escape as I am a fisherman in this river”. Out of such a though, then fisherman judged the cart-driver
guilty and said that the car-driver had to give one of his oxen to the crocodile to eat. This was the first
judge who had judged partially because of his fear for the crocodile.

The cart-driver totally declined the fisherman’s judgement and tied his oxen far from the
riverside. The fisherman then said goodbye to the crocodile and went away. The crocodile crawled up
on the land to deep arguing with the cart-driver when a one-armed old man came walking. The
crocodile
and the cart-driver asked him to seek justice for them.

The one –armed old man upon knowing the details became very angry with the other
crocodile that had bitten off one of his arms. Therefore, he judged the crocodile guilty. This was the
second judge who had made a partial decision owing to his hatred with the crocodile.

The crocodile disagreed with the one-armed old man’s decision so strongly that he has about
to dart to bite the old man, but the old man had already walked away. While the cart-driver and the
crocodile were arguing, there was a large lizard crawling up from the river. The crocodile then called
the lizard to help judge his case.

The lizard, which one of the crocodile’s friends, on hearing the crocodile and the cart-driver
out decided that the cart- driver was the loser and that the cart-driver had to give one of his oxen to
the crocodile to eat. This was the third judge who judged partially because of friendship.

The cart-driver disagreed and kept arguing with the crocodile when there was a monkey
going down to the river to drink the water. The cart-driver and the crocodile asked him to help judge
their case.

The monkey was so ignorant and indecisive that he did not know what to do and how to
judge, so he stood with his face pulled. When the cart-driver said that he would give cooked rice to
him (the monkey) to eat if he (the monkey) judge he was the winner, the monkey judge the crocodile
guilty and turned to look at the crocodile. When the crocodile said he would give more food than that
given by the cart-driver to him (the monkey) to eat, if he decided that he (the crocodile) was the
winner, the monkey judged the cart-driver guilty. The monkey kept making such an indecisive
judgement so many times that the cart-driver and the crocodile drove the monkey into the forest. This
was the fourth judge who judge with partially as a result of ignorance and being fooled by bribes
without deal.

At that time, it was a little bit late in the afternoon. The crocodile was threatening to eat the
man’s ox when a rabbit jumped out of the forest. The two litigants begged the rabbit to judge their
case fairly.
 The rabbit was a wise and honest animal without the aforementioned four prejudices. He
asked the two litigants about the details. On learning the truth, the rabbit told the crocodile to crawl
up and lie on the front part of the body of the cart and then told the cart-driver to tie the crocodile.
Then, the rabbit asked the crocodile did he tie you as tightly as he does now?’

No. I would not have been angry with him at all if he had tied me this way, replied the
crocodile. Then, the rabbit told the man to further tighten the rope, but the crocodile still said he
would not have been angry if the cart-driver had tied him such to such an extent. The rabbit then told
the cart driver to get a wedge to tighten as tightly as possible. The crocodile was wedged so tightly
that his eyes stuck out. Then he told the rabbit: yes, he had tied me as tightly as now.

The rabbit said: if it has now reached such a critical extent, I will find justice for you. The
rabbit told the cart-driver: take out your ax and chop off his head. He is very ungrateful, so do not let
him line any longer. This was the fifth judge who judged fairly without the four prejudices.

The ungrateful crocodile was at that time killed by the cart-driver, who later gave out of the
crocodile’s meat to the villagers. As for the crocodile’s head which was tied near the yoke of the cart,
had been since then called the crocodile’s head of the cart by the villagers.