ABADHOOT PANDA

Children Stories Classics

2  

ABADHOOT PANDA

Children Stories Classics

Crocodile & Monkey

Crocodile & Monkey

4 mins
190


Long long ago there was a big mango tree on the bank of River Ganga. On the treetop, a langur monkey was sitting and eating a ripe mango. At the same time, a male croc came on swimming to the river bank and strode up to the root of the mango tree. He looked up and saw the langur and told him, O langur brother I like you very much I want to be your Maitra ( bosom pal ). Do you agree dear? " The monkey replied, " Yes why not. You are now welcome. " Then the monkey began to shake the branches of the tree and some ripe mangoes began to fall on the ground. The monkey told, " Dear friend please eat the sweet mangoes as I dropped for you as a token of friendly love. " The croc told, " OK Dear " and ate up all the fruits.


From the day of their first friendship, the croc started coming up to the tree regularly and gradually the bond between both of them became concrete. After some days, one Summer morning the croc arrived and told the langur, "Dear Pal today my better half, your Bhauja ( sister in law ) has invited you to our house. Please come with me. I'll carry you on my back safely." Monkey was in dilemma for whether he would keep up a friendship in spite of his own life risk. After thinking for some time he answered, " Dear pal I am a land animal and I can never swim across such a long distance. Moreover, your home is under the water. I must die of suffocation. Please stop the program. " Then the croc began to weep and tears rolled down. Again he told the Langur, " I feel very sad. If you won't go your sister in law must scold me tonight and won't share any food with me"


Monkey was seriously moved by the request of the croc and jumped on the croc's back. Then monkey was happy to have a refreshing journey on the water for the Ist time in his life. At the noon both the friends reached the middle part of the river. As the monkey had good faith in the croc he asked, " Dear pal where is your house? I don't see. " The croc replied cunningly, " Hey Haa Haa My dear friend you are a stupid one. I have no particular house in the water like your tree. " Then why did you bring me here? " replied the langur. Then croc told, " Because your in-law is now pregnant and she wants your lungs and heart as per this periodic effect. She will kill you and eat this most delicate part of your inner body. " Then the monkey now realized the hypocritic behavior of the croc and suddenly retorted, " Dear Friend you are a stupid fellow too. You are a watery animal. So you carry your lungs and hearts with you always. But we belong to the land. So we keep our hearts and lungs inside the hollow of the tree. When we want to use we can keep it out of the hollow. If your wife really wants to eat my heart then you have to carry me back to my tree. Otherwise, you can neither get my heart nor you can satisfy your pregnant better half. So do so as I tell you. "


Under the situation, the croc friend was dumbfounded as his crooked tricks failed and bound to carry him back to the river bank. While the monkey suddenly jumped and climbed on the tree. He rebuked the crocodile with extreme hatred with the comment, " Heart is always inside the chest. It can never be separated. If it is done a creature must die at once. Mind it my dear foolish friend. I now knew that actually you are a downright cheat and a cunning traitor. So you can never be my bosom friend from now on. Take one ripe mango for the last time and be off from my sight. I hate you rascal. " The shrewd croc strode down into the water and swam away.

[ An old folk tale of Odisha that we have heard from our elders in our boyhood ]


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