Bed Time Story: The plan with honesty

Panchtantra is another storical heritage of great India. Thousands of such stories depict innumerous account of lessons for life with beauty of entertaining amount of quality within. Let us go through one of the such tale with a lesson so lovely.

Once there was a young man named Manohar who  helped a snake, a goldsmith and a tiger. He saw all three were stuck in a well, then without wasting time he did the needful.

Happy to feel alive again the tiger thanked Manohar and gave him some jewellery. Manohar then brings t the jewelry to one of his friends who happened to be a  goldsmith. Seeing the jewellery, the goldsmith was taken aback. He recognised the jewellery that it  belonged to the younger brother of the King who had gone missing.

The greed captured his mind and the goldsmith in order to win a reward, reached to the King’s court and there he falsely accused Manohar  of harming the King’s younger brother. Resultantly the King got Manohar arrested and then put him in the prison.

Sitting sad in the jail room, Manohar suddenly remembered the snake’s promise. He was happy to have a light of the darkness within him, he could now somehow get rid of the prison.  He then called out the snake’s name, as the snake had instructed him. And then he did not have to wait so long, within moments the snake slithered into the prison room.

The snake felt sad seeing him there and asked “How are you dear friend? ..and why are you here in the prison?”

Hearing the entire story by Manohar,  the snake the consoled him -“Do not worry, my friend. I can help you with my plan.” Then in Manohar ’s ears, he whispered a plan.

The next day everybody came to know about the spreading news had come from the palace of the King. The news told everyone that the queen had been been stung by a snake.

Now the best doctors from all around were fetched in the kingdom and all of them tried to treat her. But in vain, the queen still remained unconscious. Then the had to announce a reward that if anyone could treat the queen, he will get whatever he wanted.

Manohar then called out the soldier outside his cell and told him that he could treat the queen. The soldiers with permission of the king immediately took him to the palace.

There he asked the people in the palace -“I have to  get in the queen’s room all alone. I do not want any one present in the room. Or I will not be able to treat the queen.”

With strict instructions to the guards King stopped everyone outside the queen’s room.  Then only Manohar  was allowed to the enter the royal lady’s room.

Manohar found the room quiet after entering in there. Then he silently whispered the snake’s name once more time there. Then out of a sudden the snake arrived there smiling at Manohar. And without wasting time he drew the poison out from the queen’s foot. Manohar had not words to thank him and wishing him good bye the snake disappeared.

It was kind of miracle for the King seeing his royal lady opening her eyes moments later. The king was overwhelmed with joy. He said to Manohar – “Young man, now you deserve the greatest award ever. Ask whatever you want, I am ready to give you anything..”

“Your Majesty,’’ Manohar said – ‘‘I do not need any money. I beg you to just listen to my story. I have not at all harmed your brother. I request you to kindly believe me.”

Now Manohar narrated everything that transpired with him along with the three promises made by the snake, the goldsmith and the tiger.

The king immediately cancelled Manohar ’s prison term. He then right away sent for the goldsmith and punished him for the fraud he committed. And to Manohar, he also gave a bag full of gold in response to his honesty.