10.RABBIT WHO KILLED THE LION

Munna the rabbit had just moved in to this new place of residence. He was staying in the jungles of Sitapur. One day he and his pretty wife paru in search of food strayed from their jungles and just by chance entered in to these jungles of Dastar. Both of them liked the place as there were lot of wild roots and nuts their. Munna and Paru decided to stay along their itself and they dug their burrows, made a cozy home under a tall lumbering tree. Soon Paru was in the family way and Munna was extremely happy that he would get to see his children in a short time.

As Munna and Paru were living happily in their woven world a News in the new jungles made them stir uneasily and cast a stone in their cup of happiness.

It was Toda the Lion, king of that jungle which was robbing them of their peaceful sleep. Toda the Lion was a self-willed a tyrannical king of that jungle. He ruled the kingdom as per his whims with little regard to justice. He killed animals of prey by dozens and had big spread of sumptuous meal every day. His strength never seems to ebb. The animals were living in constant dread as when their destiny will override them and make them the prey to the mighty and merciless lion. They had no peace to live or procreate.
The exasperated animals decided to come together and discuss the matter. A meeting was arranged on the 5th day of the full moon under the peepul tree close to the pond. All animals gathered there, the wise elephant was heading the group. Present were the Cheethas, the tigers, langoors, parakeets, the wizened owl, the one eyed jaguar, the ever plotting jackal, even the king cobra, rabbits, the twin horned bison and the pretty agile dear all collected together at one call for the meet as the matter was concerning everyone and they whished they could be clever enough to find a way out of this treachery from none other than their mighty but cruel king.

The elephant with his big ears was a good listener and judge. Each of the animals was given a chance to have their say.

Monkeys and langoors who had no patience screeched and clapped for every little thing and it fell on the cheetahs to discipline them. It bared its sparkling teeth and gave a long steady growl that made the monkeys keep quite for a while.

The parakeets repeated whatever anybody told and thus made it clearer.

The one eyed jaguar told `Let us all join together and kill the wicked lion and than I will be your king and see that justice is established in the forest’
The tiger who felt he should have been the king much before no doubt did not like this. He gave a mighty roar and expressed his disapproval.

The king cobra hissed and made his presence felt, he told`Anyway I am the king of the serpents and all the creepy things in the forest, I don’t mind extending my domain and taking care of you other animals’. This assumed magnanimity was not appreciated by other four-legged animals, a mere creepy snake with no legs, how could he rule us they thought.

The jackals standing in a pack told `we are such a strong group. Each one is like a well armed solider with our sharp canines we can make a mincemeat of even a moving shadow, so allow us be the guardians of this forest. You can see what peace we will bring in’ said the cunning jackals.

The rest of the animals hid their smile with such a statement. They well knew with the unbecoming howls and cunning ways jackals will end up doing just the opposite.

The twin horned bison shook his horn in great contemplation and told` Are we here to elect a leader or find a way out of the treachery and evil ways of our king Toda. Every body here will know it is we bison and our brothers deer who are the worse affected. So many of our near and dear ones we have lost to satisfy the consuming appetite of our king. Unless a proper solution is brought to this problem, we will be doomed and hence we request the wise council here to come with some viable way out.
The deer on hearing this shook their pretty heads and twitched their slender tails agreeing to bison in unison.
The animals scratched their heads and tried to think how to get better of the lion who with his youth strength and vigour seemed unbeatable.

Finally it was for the wise owl to find a way out. The owl blinked its all knowing eyes which penetrates in to every thing like a sharp beam, it called out for attention and told `My dear fellow animals what we cannot win by might we should try to win by other ways. Since we all stay in perpetual fear of being hunted, I suggest each sect of us come out voluntarily and offer themselves everyday by turn to the lion, we can than request the king not to go about hunting but enjoy his food at his abode, in his den thus we wont have to live in unknown fear and the lion need not take the trouble of hunting’

The other animals on hearing this went into vigorous consultation within themselves. Though their was an counter opinion here and their finally there was a common agreement and the animals agreed with judge elephant giving the final verdict and it was agreed each of the animal will get ready to offer one of its kind to the king Toda so that general peace will prevail in the jungles.

Our Munna and Paru were also in the meet. They heard intently every word uttered however being new and small they did not venture to give any opinion in the group.

None other than the elephant itself took the proposal to the mighty king

`Oh, mighty king he addressed, we know you are the mightiest among us by the virtue of which you are our king and master and it is our duty as obedient subjects to serve you. Hence we all animals have come to the conclusion to help you to have smooth and comfortable life and save you the trouble of doing the troublesome hunting every day, we ourselves will offer you one of each kind everyday at the appointed time and you can sit in comfort and enjoy variety of meals.’

The king Toda heard it and thought `No doubt these minions have finally known my strength they are ready to bend their back at me the mighty one. So let me enjoy myself. It is becoming a hassle everyday to go out and hunt. It will be a pleasure indeed to sit in comfort and partake my meal, so thinking he told
`Such a proposal is agreeable to me, Thus I will also give you all an opportunity to show your obeisance and respect to me. So let it be from tomorrow before the sun mounts the highest part of the sky my meal in form of a healthy animal should be in front of me. If my meal does not reach me in good time you all have to bear my wrath, so saying he disposed the collected animal in front of his cave.

As days went by one by one each animal sent one of its kind as an offering and for a while peace prevailed in the traumatized jungles.

One day the turn of Munna the rabbit came. Checking the list the regulator, the wise owl sends word to Munna through the parakeet

Coming to the door of Munna, parakeet screethched `Here is the message from our patron the owl. Tomorrow it is the turn of Munna the rabbit to offer himself to the king Toda for the common welfare of the jungle, we wish you a long life in heaven’ said the message.

Munna trembled and turned ashen in his burrow on hearing this message. However he came out and accepted the parakeet’s message graciously and told he will do the needful on his part as per the common orders issued by the welfare counselor of the forest the wise owl.

Paru started loudly weeping on hearing this News, which amounted to death sentence. Both of them huddled inside the burrow and spend the night on each other’s bosom. Paru told Munna `I will also die along with you; I cannot imagine a life with out you.’ However Munna told `Paru you should never do that. You are carrying our children and you must see that they come out and lead a good life.’

`But my dear how can I do it with out you to share my pains and joys and with out your loving support. I rather feel it would be better our children don’t see such a gloomy world bereft of their father’ lamented Paru.

`Don’t cry my dear, I remember the saying of the wise owl, if we cant win our enemy by might we should think of other ways, let me think, I am sure some way will flash if we keep hope, God will be kind enough to show us the way if we pray sincerely with belief.’

Thus saying Munna went in to deep thought. He thought and thought various tricks to get out of the clutches of the ferocious Lion.’

And Lo! Suddenly a brilliant idea came to him. As he gave further thought to it his face become brighter with hope and he consoled Paru telling `Everything is going to happen well and dear I have hope we can see through the day’

Paru though she could not understand took hope on Munnas words dried her tears and went to sleep.

The day dawned bright and clear, Munna was calm as though he held a secret up in his sleeve. The sun climbed the horizon slowly and soon it was at the highest point and mid noon had arrived. However Munna was not in great hurry to go to the Lions den and offer himself as the prey.

Paru kept quiet praying constantly to save her husband.

Toda the Lion was getting hungrier and angrier by minute. He saw the sun had climbed up but there was no sign of any animal walking towards his den.

He gave a big roar, which was heard far, and all the animals of the forest trembled in their knees thinking why Toda today is such angry mood.

Munna ever slowly started now from his house and took his own time slowly walking to the Lions den.

The Sun was losing its luster and it was becoming much past post noon. It was than the hungry lion Toda spotted Munna a small chit of a rabbit slowly advancing towards his den.

He roared, his eyes were getting red He asked `What made you so late. I cannot tolerate this kind of indiscipline. I am planning to go back to my old ways and rampage the forest for my choice food’

Munna put a pathetic face `My lord, I was coming at my appointed time but I was way laid by a another lion much mightier than you’

He stopped me on the way and asked me `Where are you going in such a hurry’
I told him sir `Don’t stop me; I am going to keep appointment with my master and king of the forest Toda the mighty lion. I am going to offer myself as his meal as per agreement with the animals of this jungles’

On hearing this the lion whom I met on the way roared and laughed there cannot be any one mightier than me. Can your master stand on a duel with me that will prove who among us is mighty.’

This lion did appear to be strong and mighty scared me stiff. I told him I would pass the message to our master.

However in a fit of changing mood he told `I am going to make a meal of you for myself.’ Hearing that I hid myself and with great caution reached here. `That is the reason my lord for the delay. Please excuse me. You can go ahead and have me as your meal.’ so saying Munna humbly bowed before the lion Toda.

On hearing Munnas words the Lion Toda as beside himself with anger.

`In this forest ruled by me for such long time with an iron hand who else can dare to come and proclaim his supremacy’ roared the angry lion.
`My hunger can wait, immediately show me the other one. I will here and now show who is the superior in between us’ ordered the excited lion.

Munna took him along, after going for a while they reached a deserted well having water gleaming at the bottom.

`Majesty, its here I saw the other lion. It was roaring ferociously from the well. As I looked inside I saw its shining mane and fierce eyes, which scared me stiff. ‘ told Munna trembling and pointing towards the well.

The lion Toda lost his reason in a fit of anger. Little did he think what a lion is doing in an abandoned well?

In a rush he went and peeped in to the well. And he did see a majestic lion with full mane, a reflection of himself.
He roared at it with great anger. The echo of his voice gave a return roar from the deep well.

The charged and angry lion mistook it as another lion calling out to him. He jumped into the well in a frenzy to combat with the other lion. Alas little did he realize it was but his own reflection.

Down he fell headlong and met his end.

Munna went back home to his paru and lived a long life with his children and grand children and many more.

He was honored and respected by the rest of the animals in the jungles for its clever ways of killing the hated lion, though himself so small and vulnerable.

No doubt Munna proved beyond doubt `The brain is superior than the brawn.’