Once upon a time in a lush forest, all the animals lived in constant fear of a bloodthirsty tiger. He hunted them relentlessly, and every day an unfortunate creature would fall prey to his hunger. Life was miserable for the animals, and they knew they couldn’t continue like this for long. Fearing their extinction, the animals gathered and decided to propose a deal to the tiger.
They approached the tiger with great caution and said, “O mighty tiger, you are our ruler, and we are your subjects. We wish to serve you and offer you comfort. If you agree, we will provide you with one animal every day at a designated time, so you won’t have to hunt anymore. In return, we ask that you spare the rest of us and allow us to live in peace.”
The tiger, though proud, was tempted by the offer of easy food. However, he declared, “I do not wish to consume anything without hunting it myself. It is against my nature. But since you’ve offered me live animals to hunt, I accept your proposal.”
From that day onward, the animals drew lots to determine who would be sacrificed to the tiger. The unfortunate one chosen in the lottery would go willingly to the tiger. This arrangement continued for some time, and the animals roamed the forest freely, knowing they wouldn’t be hunted unjustly.
One day, it was a clever rabbit’s turn to be sacrificed. But instead of despairing, the rabbit came up with a plan. He told the other animals, “Friends, if we continue like this, we will all eventually be eaten. Let me try to outsmart the tiger and free us from this tyranny.”
The other animals, doubtful of the rabbit’s chances, urged him to just go and not anger the tiger. But the rabbit remained confident and set off to meet the tiger, arriving late on purpose.
When the tiger saw the rabbit approaching, he roared in fury, “Why are you late? Do you think you can waste my time?”
The rabbit, trembling but composed, said, “O mighty tiger, it is not my fault. I was on my way with another rabbit, but we were stopped by another tiger. He claimed to be the true ruler of this forest and attacked us. He took the larger, stronger rabbit, and I barely escaped to bring you this news.”
The tiger’s eyes blazed with anger. “Another tiger in my forest? Where is he? Take me to him, and I will show him who the real ruler is!”
The rabbit led the tiger to an old, deep well in the forest. Standing near the edge, the rabbit said, “He is down there, inside the well!”
The tiger, blinded by rage, looked into the well and saw his own reflection alongside the rabbit’s. Mistaking his reflection for the other tiger, he roared and leaped into the well to attack. But the well was deep, and the tiger fell to his death.
The rabbit, overjoyed, hurried back to the other animals and exclaimed, “The tiger is gone! We are free from his terror!”
All the animals celebrated their newfound freedom, and the wise rabbit was hailed as a hero for his cleverness in outwitting the bloodthirsty tiger. From that day on, the forest was peaceful, and the animals lived without fear.
Moral of the story:
Wisdom and cleverness can often overcome brute strength.
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