बक-नकुल-कथा - The Stork And The Mongoose

MKP June 26, 2022

उपायं चिन्तयेत्प्राज्ञस्तथापायं च चिन्तयेत् ।

पश्यतो बकमूर्खस्य नकुलेन हता बकाः ॥

अस्ति कस्मिंश्चिद्वनोद्देशे बहुबकसनाथो वटपादपः । तस्य कोटरे कृष्णसर्पः प्रतिवसति स्मः । स च बकबालकानजातपक्षानपि सदैव भक्षयन् कालं नयति स्मः ।

अथैको बकस्तेन भक्षितान्यपत्यानि दृष्ट्वा शिशुवैराग्यात्सरस्तीरमासाद्य वाष्पपूरितनयनोsधोमुखस्तिष्ठति । तञ्च तादृक्चेष्टितमवलोक्य कुलीरकः प्रोवाच -- "माम! किमोवं रुद्यते भवताद्य ?

स आह -- "भद्र! किं करोमि ? मम मन्दभाग्यस्य बालकाः कोटरनिवासिना सर्पेण भक्षिताः । तद् दुःखदुःखितो रोदिमि । तत्कथय मे यद्यस्ति कश्चिदुपायस्तद्विनाशाय ।

तदाकर्ण्य कुलीरकश्चिन्तयामास -- "अयं तावदस्मज्जातिसहजवैरी।अतस्तत्तथा सत्यानृतमुपदेशं प्रयच्छामि, यथान्येSपि सर्वे बकाः सक्षयमायान्ति ।" । उक्तञ्च --

नवनीतसमां वाणीं कृत्वा चित्तं तु निर्दयम् ।

तथा प्रबोध्यते शत्रुः सान्वयो म्रियते यथा ॥

आह च -- "माम! यद्येवं तन्मत्स्यमांसखण्डानि नकुलविलद्वारात्सर्पकोटरं यावत्प्रक्षिप, यथा नकुलस्तन्मार्गेण गत्वा तं दुष्टसर्पं विनाश्यति ।"

अथ तथानुष्ठिते मत्स्यमांसानुसारिणा नकुलेन तं कृष्णसर्पं निहत्य तेSपि तद् वृक्षाश्रयाः सर्वे बकाः शनैः शनैर्भक्षिताः ।

An intelligent person thinks beforehand about both the success and failure of an action. The mongoose killed all the storks because they did not assess the gain and loss.

In a forest there was a banyan tree in which lived many families of storks. A snake lived in the hollow of that tree. The snake would kill and eat the young and newborn storks and live happily.

One day, on seeing the young ones being consumed by the snake, and in great grief over the dead children, the stork went to a lake and with tears in his eyes sat there sadly. Seeing the stork in such melancholy, a crab asked, "Dear Sir. Why are you crying thus, today?"

On hearing the crab, the stork said, "Dear! what am I to do? My unfortunate children have been eaten by the snake that lives in the hollow of the tree. Can you tell me of some way to destroy the snake?"

The crab thought, "The stork is a sworn enemy of us crabs. Hence, I will cleverly suggest something that will destroy all the storks."

With a cruel stone-heart but sweet and gentle words, the enemy should be got convinced in such a way that the enemy is destroyed completely.

The crab told the stork, "Dear! If it is true, then carry some flesh of fish from burrow of a mongoose and drop it near the hollow where the snake lives. The mongoose will covet the fish and in the process kill the snake in the hollow."

When this was done, the mongoose came in search of the flesh of the fish. Not only did he kill the snake; the mongoose gradually killed all the stork residing in the tree.