Once in a forest, a hunter, on being chased by a
tiger, felt tired and climbed up a tree. There was a bear sitting on the top of
the tree. The tiger was waiting under the tree as it could not climb up. It was
very hungry, so it wanted to gobble up the hunter. It requested the bear to
push the hunter down, so that it could kill him and appease its hunger. The
bear refused to do so, saying that the hunter was its guest and it was its
moral duty to extend hospitality to guests. But, the tiger continued to wait
under the tree. After some time, the bear started to doze. Noticing this, the
tiger addressed the hunter, "O man, I am very hungry. It does not matter
whether I eat you or the bear. I will go back once my hunger is over. The bear
is dozing. So, push it down without delay. I will eat it and spare you."
The man did not have the morality of even the bear. He thought he could escape
from the clutches of the tiger by offering the bear as bait. So, he committed
the ungrateful act of pushing the bear down. As luck would have it, the bear,
as it was falling, caught hold of a branch, climbed up and saved itself from
the tiger. Then the tiger said, "O bear, you should never believe the
human beings. This hunter tried to harm you, though you were kind enough to give
him shelter and protect him. So, without further delay, push the ungrateful
wretch down, I shall devour him". But the bear said, "I have done my
duty. Each one has to face the consequences of his own actions. I will not harm
him just because he tried to harm me."
--Jai sai ram--
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