The Story of the Heron And’ the Crab

” ‘Somewhere in the jungle, there was a big lake, andin it lived all kinds bf water creatures. A heron alsolived there. He had grown old and had no strength leftto catch the fishes. Because he was starving, he hadbecome lean. ” ‘One day, he came to, the edge of the pond andbegan to y loudly, shedding his tears like pearls. Acrab came up to. him (a number of fishes were lsowith him) and asked sympathetically, “l!nclel Are youalright? Why aren’t. you eating today and why are youcrying? Why these sighs?” ·

-“Ah, child,” replied the heron, ” I have decided torenounce the world. I have been a fish-eater but now I wouldn’t fouch them even if they come near me, fr I have undhtaken a fast unto death. ” -“What is ‘the reason fo r your renunciation?”. the crabasked him. -“Well,” said the heron, “I was born in this pond andit is here I’ve grown old. Now I have heard that therewill be no rain here for the next twelve years. ” -“Where have you heard that?” exclaimed the crab. -“Frpm the mouth of an astrologer,” said the heron. “He said that it _is writteµ in an astrological book that, due to the planetary positions, there will be no rain fortwelve years. There’s not much water in this pond now, i t · will get less and les and in the end, it will dry u pcompletely. Consequently, without water, the watercreatures I grew: up with and played games with willdie. I cannot ·bear to be separated from them. That’swhy I’ve taken on this fast unto death. The watercreatures of the small ponds are being evacuated tolarger ones by thei relatives, while the tortoises, crocodiles and the __bigger animals are going elsewhereon their own. But the water creatures here don’t seemto care. l am crying because everything will be completely

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wiped out.” ” ‘The crab told this to the other water creatures.. Allthe crabs, fishes, tortoises and everybody were in a stateof panic. They went to the heron and said, “Is thereno way out? Can’t we protect ourselves against thisdisaster?”

-“Well,” said the heron, “not far from here is a lake, full of water. Even if there was no rain for. twenty-fouryears, this lake, which is covered with lotus flowers, willnever dry up. If somebody rides on my back I can takehim there. ” ” ‘And, in this way, h e gained their confidence. Theygat hered round him, crying, ” Uncle! Father! Brother! Me first! Me first! Please! ” The wicked heron took them, one1 by one, on his back. When he had flown a littleaway, he would smash them against a rock and eat themto his heart’s content. When he got back, he woulddeliver false messages to their relatives.

” ‘One day the crab said to the heron, “Uncle, I wasfriends with you first and yet you take the others beforeme. Now save my life too.” When he heard this, the heron thought to himself, “I am tired Q.f eating fisl; ieveryday. To change the monotony of the food, I’ll eatthis crab today.” Ana so he took the crab on his backand carried him to the rock where he had killed thefishes. The crab recognised the heap of bones aµ.d theske letons of the fishes and understood everything. Butcalmly he said to the heron, “Uncle! Say, how far isthis pond? You must be tired of carrying me. I amvery heavy.” The heron thought to himself, “Now thisdumb water creature is in my power, he cannot escapemy clutches.” So, with a smirk, he said to the crab, “Crab, where could there be another pond? This tripis for my food. I am going to smash you against thisrock and eat you. “

” ‘As soon a s the heron had said this, the crab puthis claws round the white, lotus-like neck of the heronand strangled him to death.

” ‘The crab slowly dragged the neck back to the pond. All the water dwellers gat hered round him and beganto ask, ” Crab, why are you back? And why hasn’t unclereturned with you? Why is he wasting time? We are alli mpatient for a chance to be taken. “

” ‘Then the crab laughed and said, “You fools! Thatswindler was not taking the water creatures to any pond; he was smashing them against a rock, not far fromhere, and eating them. I was destined to stay alive andunderstood what he was up to. I killed the trickste rand I’ve brought back his neck. Now there’s no needto worry. V”fe are safe.” -‘That’s why I said,’ continued the jackal, ‘a greedyheron, who was feeding on large, medium and small sized fishes, was killed, by a mere crab.’ “After listening to this, the crow said, ‘Friend, tell ushow we can kill the wicked cobra. ‘

-‘Well,’ said the jackal, ‘go to a city that is the capitalof a kingdom. Visit the house of some wealthy man, aminister or someone, and see if they have been carelessenough to leave a gold chain or a necklace lying about. Pick it, up, ai; id making sure that the servants arewatching you, fly off slowly with it and drop it in thehollow of the tree where the snake lives. When theservants run after you to get the necklace back, they’llsee the snake and it’s certain they’ll kill him.’ “The crows decided to take the jackal’s advice andflew off. As they were flying, the female noticed a lake, in which the women of the harem were swimming. Theyhad left gold and pearl necklaces with their clothes on the bank of the lake. The female crow picked up a goldchain in her beak and started flying slowly to her nest.

” When the eunuchs saw this, they picked up theirsticks and started running after the female crow. Shelet the gold chain fall near the hollow of the tree wherethe snake lived and seated herself on a tree near by. When the king’s servants arrived. on the scene, theywere confronted by a snake with swelling hood, before

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the hollow of the tree. They killed him with sticks, recovered the gold chain and returned home. And thecrows lived happily ever after. -“And so,” continued Damanaka, “that’s why, I said: ‘What cannot be achieved by force, Can be achieved through deceit.’ -“Nothing in this world is impossible for a clever man. B ecause he was clever, the hare killed a mighty lionliving in the jungle.” -“How was that?” asked Karataka. And Damanaka told:

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What is the moral of THE STORY OF THE HERON AND’ THE CRAB?

The moral is: To value wisdom and make thoughtful decisions. This story teaches us that every action has consequences, and we must think carefully about the impact of our choices on ourselves and others.

What collection does THE STORY OF THE HERON AND’ THE CRAB belong to?

THE STORY OF THE HERON AND’ THE CRAB is from the Hitopadesha Collection, an ancient Sanskrit text. The Hitopadesha is a timeless collection of stories that teaches important life lessons through didactic stories about friendship and wisdom.

What age group is THE STORY OF THE HERON AND’ THE CRAB suitable for?

THE STORY OF THE HERON AND’ THE CRAB is best suited for Ages 6-10. Younger children will enjoy hearing it read aloud for its engaging narrative, while older children can read it independently and explore the deeper meanings and moral lessons embedded in the story.