Stories - THE ELEPHANT AND THE MICE
Once upon a time there was a region where a number of mice lived. The mice along with their sons, daughters, grandchildren burrowed a colony near a lake.
One day a herd of elephants that were looking for water spotted the lake. They marched towards the lake trampling everything that came their way. A number of mice died in the stampede.
Later, the mice that had managed to escape held a meeting.
MICE : “We are being killed. If they come this way again there won’t be any mice left. Let us find a solution.”
MICE: “Why don’t we go to the king of the herd and request him not to come this way again?”
So they went to the King Elephant.
MICE: “O King! We have been living near the lake for generations. Nearly half of us have been killed because your herd charged to the lake. If you travel that way again, None of us will live. Have mercy on us and find another path to the lake. Please consider this request. Spare our lives. Even creatures of our size will some day prove of some service”
The king of the elephants was kind hearted. He felt the statement of the mice was entirely logical and granted their request.
Few days later, a king commanded his trappers to trap elephants. They prepared a water trap and caught the king elephant and part of his herd. Three days later they dragged them out and tied them to the trees with ropes.
After they left, the king-elephant wondered:
ELEPHANT: “How and with whose help will we be freed? My friends the Mice! Why didn’t I think of them earlier?”
So the king sent a message to the mice with exact description of their unfortunate position in the trap.
When the mice heard the elephant’s story they were eager to return the favor shown by them. As soon as they reached the place they gnawed the ropes and set all the elephants free.
MORAL: “Never underestimate anyone by their size. Kindness however small is never wasted. ”
(Story by Padmaja Gudipati adapted from the Mitrabhedamu of Panchatantra)