कीलोत्पाटि वानरकथा -- The Wedge Removing Monkey

MKP June 26, 2022

अव्यापारेषु व्यापारं यो नरः कर्तुमिच्छति ।

स एव निधनं यति कीलोत्पाटीव वानरः ॥

कसिंमश्चिन्नगराभ्याशे केनापि वणिक्पुत्रेण तरुषण्डमध्ये देवतायतनं कर्तुमारब्धम् । तत्र च ये कर्मकाराः स्थपत्यादयस्ते मध्याह्नवेलायामाहारार्थ नगरमध्ये गच्छन्ति ।

अथ कदाचिदानुषङगिकं वानरयुथमितश्चेतश्व परिभ्रमदागतम् । तत्रैकस्य कस्यचिच्छिल्पिनोऽर्धस्फ़ाटितोऽर्जुनवृक्ष्यदारुमयः स्तम्भः खदिरकीलेन मध्यानिहितेन तिष्ठति । एतस्मिन्नन्तरे ते वानरास्तरुशिखरपरासादशृङ्गदारुपर्यन्तेषु यथेच्छया क्रिडितुमारब्धाः ।

एकश्व तेषां प्रत्यासन्नमृत्युश्चापल्यात्तस्मिन्न्रर्धस्फ़ोटितस्तम्भे उपविश्य पाणिभ्यां कीलकं संगृह्य यावदुत्पाटयितुमारेभे, तावत्तस्य स्तम्भमध्यगतवृषणस्य स्वस्थानाच्चलितकीलकेन यद्वृत्तं तत्प्रागेव निवेदितम् ।

"Anyone who tries to poke into matters which are none of his business, meets his end, just like the monkey who tried to remove the wedge."

Near the city limits, a temple was being built by the son of a business man. In the noon time, the carpenters working on that, used to go into the city for lunch.

One day suddenly a group of monkeys while roaming came to that place. One of those carpenters had put a wedge in middle of a half-cut arjuna tree log. The monkeys started playing with the trees and logs as they wished.

One of those monkeys whose death was near, sat on that half-cut log and started removing the wedge from that. As the wedge moved out, the monkey's hanging genitals went into the gaps of the log, got trapped and the monkey got killed.