Once there was a Black-berry (Jamun) tree on the bank of a river. This Jamun tree full of sweet Jamun fruits all over the year. A monkey named Raktamukha was lived there on the tree as his home. He lived there happily by eating sweet Jamun fruits and passed his days by playing and jumping on the tree.
One day while the monkey playing, a crocodile named Karalamukha approached near the tree from the river to take some rest under the Jamun tree. As Raktamukha saw the crocodile from the tree he reached near to him and said, “O dear crocodile, you came under this tree to take some rest. As this tree is my home thus you are my guest now. Please take rest here and accept some fruits to eat.”
The crocodile became happy by monkey’s words. He agreed with him. Immediately Raktamukha plucked some fruits from the tree and threw them into the crocodile’s mouth. Karalamukha loved the sweet Jamun fruits very much and then he became friendly with the monkey. In the evening the crocodile left the tree after thanking monkey for his love and generosity towards him.
In this way the crocodile started coming to the Jamun tree every day, and within few days they both became good friends. Everyday monkey gave some fruits to crocodile to eat and they talked about for a long time and enjoyed each other company. They became good friends.
One day Karalamukha said to the monkey that he wanted to take some of the fruits for her wife to let her enjoy the sweetness of these Jamun fruits. Monkey agreed with him and he happily plucked some more fruits for the crocodile and her wife. Karalamukha collected those fruits and reached home. As he approached home he offered them to his wife to eat those fruits and then he narrated the whole story to her of his friendship with the monkey, who lives on the Jamun tree. The crocodile’s wife enjoyed the fruits very much on eating them.
She said to her husband, “O my dear husband, these Jamun fruits are as sweet as nectar. Think if the monkey eats these fruits every day, then he would be even tastier than these fruits. I want the monkey’s heart to eat, please bring it for me.
As crocodile heard this he surprised and said to her, “O Dear, what are you telling? It’s impossible, I cannot kill or deceive my friend for his heart. Even I cannot think about such a thing.” But his wife was not agreed with him and pleaded for the monkey’s heart. Even after her continuous efforts she could not convince the crocodile for doing so. Thus she stopped eating food and insisted that if he did not bring the money’s heart for her, she would die.
Crocodile became very disappointed. Although he did not want to do so, he was left with no other choices. So he made a plan to deceive his friend and to catch him. Then, he went to the monkey. As he approached him he said, “O my friend, my wife love the Jamun fruits very much. I told my wife about our friendship and as I told her about our friendship she became angry with me for not introducing you with her. Now she is very excited to meet you and she has invited you to our home for dinner. You are my friend, so please accept our invitation.”
The monkey agreed with him at once but the problem was that how could he go to the crocodile’s home? He could not swim. So they decided that he sat on the crocodile’s back and then he carried him to his home.
As decided the monkey sat on the crocodile’s back and then they entered into the river. Crocodile carried him to deeper into the water so that he killed him as he planned. At the very moment the monkey got much feared with so much water all around him. So he said to his friend to move slowly. Crocodile understood that he had to succeed in his plan and now the monkey was totally under his control and it’s impossible for him to escape from him. He thought for a while and decided to reveal his plan to the monkey. He said, “O my friend, the truth is that I want to kill you here for my wife as he wishes to eat your heart. She thinks that your heart’s taste should be even better than the Jamun fruits as you eat all the time.”
On hearing this the monkey thought for a while but he did not show any fear to the crocodile. Instead it he knowingly said to him, “O friend, that’s the matter. Why did not you tell me that before? It would be lucky for me if I could serve myself to your wife. You are my best friend, you have to tell me earlier. But I would not have my heart with me as I keep my heart in burrow of the Jamun tree. So we have to go back to bring my heart. Let us go back.”
The foolish crocodile did not understand anything and he believed him. He turned back and then they reached the Jamun tree. As they reached the monkey jumped down the crocodile’s back and immediately climbed up the tree and sat on the top branch. Thus he finally saved himself from the evil plans of the crocodile.
At the same moment the crocodile waited for the monkey and wanted to know the cause for this delay as his wife waited for him. He asked the monkey for the delay. The monkey answered him, “O my foolish friend, how can one take out his own heart and keep it in the burrow of tree. You are so stupid. You deceived me to kill me for his wife and in return I cheat you to save myself. This is a lesson for you for being so unfaithful with a friend. Now just go away and never return back.”
The crocodile understood that he had been tricked by the monkey, and he felt very guilty for his actions. He went away to never back again.
The wise indeed say:
Use intelligence to win in difficult situations.
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