Once there was a forest near Varanasi, where lived some quails in a shady grove. This shady grove was also a much preferred grazing ground for a herd of elephants. The leader of the herd, Bodhisattva, was an extremely wise and fair elephant.
One day, one of the quails laid a few eggs. She said to the father quail that she is worried about the safety of the eggs and wishes that they remain secure till the time they are hatched.
When the elephant herd arrived, the mother quail pleaded for the lives of her children. The wise elephant leader said that the quail need not to worry and her children will not be harmed. The herd left without harming anyone, but the leader warned the mother quail that a rouge elephant, who is wild and dangerous will soon be coming this way. Hence, she should take care.
The quail said that she is weak and was worried about what should be done. The elephant advised that the quail should plead for mercy and, then left with his herd.
In a little while, the rogue elephant arrived. The mother ran to the rogue elephant, and begged to spare the little ones. The rouge elephant got offended with the mother quail blocking his way and destroyed the entire nest, while killing the father.
The mother quail mourned over the loss of her family, and decided to teach the rogue elephant a lesson. She took the help of her friends and devised a plan. Her friends, a kind crow, a gentle ant, and a sensible frog, all vowed to help the quail.
To begin with, the crow darted at the elephant and pulled out the rouge and cruel elephant’s eyes. After that, the ant speedily laid her eggs in the elephant’s eye sockets. Once the eggs hatched and the baby ants began biting, the elephant could not bear the pain any longer and searched for water to wash his eyes. While the elephant was running around in pain, the frog croaked near a steep precipice. The blind elephant quickly followed the sound of the frog’s croaking, having the opinion that water would be nearby. The elephant got hit with the precipice and succumbed to death.
The three friends then came near the pond to witness the victory of good over bad.
Moral of the Story : Even the small and weak can join hands to seek justice and teach lesson to the evil.
You may like some more Jataka Tales :
The Monkey and the Crocodile
The Elephant & The Forester
