Story of the Lion and the Hare
Once upon a time, in a big green jungle, lived a huge lion named Bhasuraka.
Every morning he would wake up and stretch. “Yaaawn… ROAAARRRR!”
His loud roar boomed through the jungle.
All the animals went “Eeeeee! Run! Run!”
The lion stomped around THUMP… THUMP… THUMP…
“I’m hungry!” he growled. “Grrrrrr…”
He would chase after any animal that caught his eye.
The lion was very greedy and did not think about the other animals. He loved showing off his strength and power.
Even though he had eaten plenty, he kept chasing and hunting the animals.
The animals were terrified. They could not play, eat, or live peacefully because they were always worried about the lion.
One day, while the lion was asleep snore… snore… the animals quietly gathered and held a meeting.
The monkeys went Chatter-chatter-chatter!
The birds chirped Tweet-tweet-tweet!
The zebras neighed Neighhh! Neighhh!
The antelopes bleated softly Maa… maa…
The wild boars snorted Snort… snort!
And the rabbits squeaked Eeep! Eeep!
The deer whispered “Shhh… what should we do?”
Finally they made a plan.
They all walked together to the lion’s den step… step… step…
Their hearts were beating thump-thump-thump!
They gathered in front of him and said,
“Oh mighty lion, please listen to us. Everyday, we will send you one animal to eat.
Please promise us that you will not hunt the other animals and will let us live peacefully.”
The lion agreed.
Each day, one animal was sent to the lion. One day, it was the little hare’s turn.
The hare hopped slowly. Hop… hop… hop…
He stopped and thought. “Hmmm… I need a clever plan!”
Meanwhile the lion was waiting. His tummy went “Grrrroooowl… rumble… rumble…”
He roared loudly, “ROOOAAARR! Where is my food?!”
Finally the little hare arrived. Hop… hop… hop…
The lion shouted,
“Why are you so late?! GRRRR!”
The hare trembled, “Oh mighty lion! Another lion stopped me!”
The big lion roared, “WHAT?! Another lion?!”
The clever hare had seen a well on its way and had come up with a plan in his little head.
“Come with me,” said the hare. “He is in a deep well.”
The angry lion said, “Take me there. I want to see him.”
The hare led the lion to the well and said, “Look inside!”
The lion peered in. He saw his own reflection.
The foolish lion was furious. He thought there was another lion living inside the well!
“ROOOAAARR!” he roared.
From the well came the echo: “ROOOAAARR!”
The lion got very angry. “GRRRR! I will fight you!”
And WHOOSH! SPLASHHH! THUD! The lion jumped into the well!
Water went SPLISH! SPLASH! GLUB GLUB!
The little hare listened…Silence…the lion was gone.
The hare smiled and hopped away. Hop hop hop!
The animals heard the news and started cheering for the hare.
‘Yaaay!’ they shouted.
They jumped with joy ‘Hooray! Hooray!’
From that day on, the jungle became calm and peaceful again.
Everyone lived happily and safely.
The animals learnt an important lesson that day:
Sometimes a small, clever mind can defeat great strength.
Even though the hare was small and not very strong, he was very smart and thought of a clever plan to save himself and other animals.
The lion was huge and powerful, but he was not wise. He did not think carefully before jumping into the well, and that led him into trouble.
Moral of the story:
Smart thinking is more powerful than physical strength. Use your mind, not just your strength
If you’re interested in a physical book, take a look at the engaging Panchatantra storybooks listed below.
