Panchatantra

THE COBRA AND CROWS

There was a big banyan tree on a river bank. A crow couple lived on one of the branches of that tree. They had built a nice and comfortable nest on the tree. The she crow was sitting on the recently laid eggs. She was eagerly waiting for the chicks to come out of the eggs.

Cobra eats eggs

But a cruel cobra lived in a cavity on the same tree. The cobra was waiting for the crows to leave in search of food. When the nest was unguarded, the cobra climbed up the branch and started gobbling the eggs; one by one. The crows hurried up to reach their nest. They begged from the cobra to spare the remaining eggs, but the cobra did not listen to them.

The same episode was repeated time and again. The she crow laid the eggs; hoping against all hopes. But every time, the cobra just ate up all the eggs. The female crow was in deep despair. But the male crow was thinking of some way to get rid of the cobra forever. He could recall that the princess used to come to the river to take bath. A brilliant idea struck the crow’s mind.

cobra and crow

Necklace and princess

Next day, when the princess came to the river, the crow was waiting for the right moment. When the princess was engrossed in enjoying a good time in the river; the crow saw her necklace on the heap of clothes on the river bank. He just picked the necklace and dropped it in the snake’s burrow.

When the princess did not find her necklace, she complained to the king. The king sent his soldiers to search for the necklace. While they were searching near the river bank; one of them could see the necklace in cobra’s burrow. The soldiers quickly killed the cobra and took back the necklace. After that, the crows raised a big brood of chicks and lived happily.

The moral of the story is, "A little ingenuity can help in defeating even a powerful enemy."