This is another good story from the collection of
Panchatantra. Once upon a time, there lived a Brahman by the name of
Deva Sharma with his wife. His wife delivered a son and they were happy
to have their first child. The Brahmin wanted to have a pet animal to
protect the child which would also be a companion to the child. The
Brahmin kept his proposal before the Brahmani. She found the proposal
acceptable and the Brahmin went to bring a pet.
Deva Sharma went round the village and after much toil, got a mongoose
as an escort to his child. Brahmani didn’t like the idea to keep a
mongoose for her child. But as the pet was already brought, so she
accepted it. Now, both of them started loving the mongoose as their own
child. Yet, the Brahmani never left her son alone because she did not
trust the mongoose, fearing that it could harm her son.
One day, the farmer and his wife had to go out of the house leaving the
child at home. The farmer confirmed that the mongoose would take care of
the child while they would be away. So, they left the mongoose and the
child at home and went out. Soon after they left, a cobra entered the
home. Finding danger to the son of the Brahmin, the mongoose attacked
the cobra. They had a bloody combat and the mongoose succeeded in
killing the cobra.
After this, mongoose heard the footfalls of Brahmin’s wife and
went at the door to greet her. Brahmani was trembled to see the blood
stained mouth of the mongoose. She inferred that the mongoose had killed
the child. Without a second thought, she threw a heavy box on mongoose
and the mongoose died at the spot. Brahmani quickly entered the house to
see her child and to her great surprise, she found her child sleeping
quietly in the cradle.
As soon as, she saw a snake bitten into pieces lying near the cradle,
she realized that the mongoose had saved her child. The Brahmani was
struck by grief that she had killed the mongoose that was like a sibling
to her son. She cried loud at her hasty action.
Moral: Don’t act in haste. Think and Act.
