SHORT STORY: THE LION AND THE SHEPHERD

Copyright@shravancharitymission

By Kamlesh Tripathi

Once a lion in the forest was wounded by a sharp and poisonous thorn and soon it become sore. The lion tried to pull it out with its teeth but was unable to do so. And he was now in deep pain and could not even walk properly. In hope of some help he started limping slowly and reached a shepherd near the jungle. When the shepherd saw the hefty lion approaching him he got scared. He thought if he now tried to escape the lion in a couple of leaps will pounce on him and tear him to shreds. Also in the vicinity there weren’t any trees that he could have climbed to save himself. Having no other option he just stayed put there.

    The lion neither roared nor growled. He just came and sat in front of the shepherd and raised his foreleg. The shepherd saw the wound and could immediately understand that the lion was in deep pain and wants help. He immediately pulled out the thorn from the lion’s foreleg. The lion was relieved of the pain and he took an about turn and went back to the jungle.

    After some days there was a theft in the King’s Palace. Some people out of enmity informed the king that the shepherd was the thief and he alone had burgled the king’s palace. Shepherd was caught. But in his house the stolen stuff was not found. The king thought that the shepherd had hid it somewhere. And therefore he issued orders the shepherd be thrown alive in front of a lion.

    But by stroke of luck the same lion was caught to kill the shepherd, whose thorn the shepherd had pulled out. When the shepherd was thrown in front of the lion, the lion recognized him. He immediately came close to the shepherd and sat beside him and started wagging his tail like a dog.

    The king was surprised at this gesture of the lion. Upon enquiring he came to know about the helpful nature of the shepherd and also how he had helped the lion when he was in deep agony, because of which the lion was grateful towards the shepherd. The king then decided to set free the shepherd, realizing he may not be the culprit.

    Moral of the story: Even the mighty predator lion did not forget the help that he had received from the shepherd. Human beings who forget the kindness that is showered on them by others are worse than animals.

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