Lion And Sweets
Once upon a time, there was a priest cook who lived in a village. He was so good at making sweets, that he was very much in demand everywhere. Whenever and wherever there was a feast, he was sure to be asked to prepare the sweets. Late one afternoon, the cook was returning from a big feast in a rich man's house. He was carrying a big basket of his tastiest sweets which the rich man had given him for his children. He was taking a short cut home as he was in a hurry to give the delicious sweets to his children. It was a big mistake for him to use the short cut because in doing so he had to pass through a dense forest and there was a big cave-in that forest and in that cave there lived a large lion with a very long mane. The priest walked straight into the lion Waving its tail above its head, the lion roared, "Halt, I am very hungry and I am going to eat you up!" The priest turned green with terror, his limbs shook and his teeth chattered. He stammered, "Oh! the mighty king of the forest, I have the most wonderful things for you to eat, here in this basket. Pray, do not eat my evil-smelling self." With that, he opened the basked of sweets, and the King of the forest was soon enjoying the delicious aroma coming from the sweets. Taking advantage of the lion's interest the priest stammered, "The sweets must be a thousand times tastier than my poor body and saltish blood, your Majesty."
The lion shook its majestic head in consent and proceeded to devour the sweets. Smacking its lips, it roared, "It's good eating priest, I am very pleased with you, so you can have some of the gold that is in my cave." The lion was in the habit of collecting all the gold coins, jewelry, and clothes that it found on the bodies of the people that it killed. When the priest beheld the huge heap of gold in the cave, his eyes lit up with avarice. "Great King of the Forest," the priest cried as he heaped as much gold and ornaments as he could into his upper cloth. "I will be very happy to give your majesty a big basket of sweets everyday just as good as the ones you have just eaten if it so pleases you." The lion growled in approval, "Yes". From that day onwards the lion ate priest's sweets each day and in return, the priest took home as much of the lion's gold as he was able to carry.
But there was a jackal who waited upon a lion, eating the lion's leftovers from its kills. Now the jackal waiting on our sweet eating lion began to starve because the lion completely gave up making any kills. The jackal was very clever as well as a cunning animal. He decided that if it did not get rid of the priest, who fed the lion with sweets, he would have to die of hunger. So, the jackal devised a brilliant plan with which to get rid of the priest. One afternoon, the jackal entered the lion's den, looking very sad. It would not speak at all. Two big tears rolled down its nose. The lion was moved by the sight of the jackal's tears and asked what was amiss. "Many victories and long life to your Majesty!" said the jackal. "Last night by chance, I happened to go to the priest's village and there, I overheard him talking to his wife. He was saying, dear, I am so tired of cooking sweets for the lion every day. Tomorrow I am going to put some poison into his sweets. If the lion dies, we can have all the gold for ourselves and become rich. When the lion heard this its mane stood on end and its tail arched over its back. The lion raised its right forepaw and roared so loudly, that the whole forest seemed to shake. "Let him come to me with his poisoned sweets and I will teach him a lesson." The jackal was very happy that its plan had succeeded so well. At the usual time, the priest arrived with his sweets for the lion.
The lion at once stood on its hind legs and roaring in anger said, "You human snake! so you want to kill me! I will teach you a lesson!" The Priest was terrified and pleaded with the lion, "Your Majesty! what has your humble servant done to deserve your highness wrath?" "Did you not mix poison into my sweets this morning? Tell me before I kill you!" ordered the Lion. "Your Majesty" beseeched the priest, "I swear upon all that I hold holy, that I would never do you any harm. If your Majesty doubts my intentions allow me to eat the sweets before you touch them." The jackal intervened, "Your Majesty, knowing that he will die anyway, this avaricious priest wants to die a painless death by eating the sweets. For his offense, he should be torn into pieces by your Highness! Therefore please permit me to sample the sweets." The jackal ate only one sweet and upon doing so, immediately fell to the ground and lay there motionless.
Now the lion was convinced of the priest's guilt, and raising its paw over the priest's head, the lion roared. "The jackal has died because of your poisoned sweets. What have you to say, wretch, before I kill you for your wickedness?" Shivering with fright the priest answered, "I have not committed any offense against your noble life, but as I am condemned to die, grant me one last wish. "What is this last wish of yours?" growled the lion. "We Priests" pleaded the priest, "wear what is called a sacred thread. If at the time of our death, we tie a piece of the skin of jackal to it, we go straight to heaven. Otherwise, we have to go to hell." "Granted," growled the lion, as it went to sharpen its claws on a stone, which is kept for this purpose in a corner of its cave. After sharpening its claws, the lion went towards the jackal in order to tear out a piece of skin to give the brahmin. What followed was a miracle. The jackal leaped up with a bound and disappeared, never to be seen again. The lion understood the jackal's wicked plan and asked the priest for forgiveness. The priest left that place and being wise enough never went back to the forest again.
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