PT1-09-CrowKillsCamel
Lesson: Association with the cruel brings death as a certainty.

Panchatantra Stories
பஞ்சதந்திரம் pañca-tantiram , n. pañcan +. The Tamil version of Pañca-tantra consisting of five books, viz., mittira-pētam1, cukirl- lāpam2, canti-vikkirakam3, artta-nācam4, acampirēṭciya-kārittuvam5; (=

 மித்திரபேதம்1, சுகிர்ல்லாபம்2, சந்திவிக்கிரகம்3, அர்த்தநாசம்4, அசம்பிரேட்சியகாரித்துவம்5 ) என ஐம்பகுதியுடையதாய்த் தமிழில் மொழிபெயர்க் கப்பட்ட நூல்.


1. மித்திரபேதம் = mittira-pētam = Sowing discord among friends.


2. சுகிர்ல்லாபம் = cukir-l-lāpam = the acquisition of friends.


3. சந்திவிக்கிரகம் canti-vikkirakam = Associating with a foe with a view to ruin him.


4. அர்த்தநாசம் artta-nācam = Loss of wealth.

5. அசம்பிரேட்சியகாரித்துவம் a-campirēṭciya-kārittuvam , n. a-sam-prēkṣya-kāri-tva. Action without forethought.

Inspiration from Nacchiyappan
By Veeraswamy Krishnaraj

  A lion was the ruler of a jungle with a fox, a tiger, and a crow as its ministers. 

 

  One day, a camel, separated from its herd, lost its way and wandered into the forest. As the crow was making a routine aerial survey of the forest canopy and clear spaces, it saw the camel, which the crow brought to the King, riding on the camel's back. 

 

  They all lived amicably for a long time. The King fell ill and asked his ministers―the tiger, the fox, the crow, and the camel―to bring meat to quench its hunger. 

 

  They all went searching and returned empty-handed with no meat to feed the King. 

 

  The crow took the other ministers to the lion without the knowledge of the camel. 

 

  The crow: O King! We searched for meat all lover the forest. None was available. 

 

  The lion: What do you have to say. How will you appease my hunger? Do you have any ideas? 

 

  The crow: O King! We have the camel.

The lion: Siva Siva. It is a sin even to think of it. Saying it, the lion covered his ears. 

 

  The scholarly crow counseled the King. O, great King! To save a family, we can kill a person. To save a town, we can kill a family. To save a country, we can kill the town. Following this principle, the Pandavas sent their son Aravan to the battlefield, sacrificed him in the battle with Kauravas, and won the battle. 

 

  The lion said, "It is wrong to kill someone who came as a refugee."

 

  The crow: O King! You need not kill the refugee. With the refugee's concurrence, you can appease your hunger. 

The lion did not advance any answer to the crow. Thinking that the lion's silence was implicit acceptance, the crow took the fox and the tiger away from the lion. 

 

  When the camel came, the foursome went to the King of the jungle. 

 

  The crow said, 'O King! We could not find any meat in the forest. You may kill and eat me.'

 

  The lion answered, 'You will never make a meal for me.' 

 

  The fox said, 'You may eat me.' 

 

  The lion: Eating you will never appease my hunger.

 

  The tiger: Eat me, my King. 

 

  The lion: You are not enough for hunger.

 

  The camel observing the drama taking place before him knew instinctively an active conspiracy was taking place against its life. With no other choice, the camel said to the lion, 'O King! My body has plenty of meat. You may kill and eat me.' 

 

  Even before the camel finished talking, the tiger jumped on the camel.

 

  The King lapped on the spilled blood of the camel. The tiger ate the sweet brain, the fox its lung, and the crow, the flesh by pecking. All of them ate to their fill. 

 

  This story tells us, association with the cruel brings death as a certainty.