The Rescue of a Deer

Panchtantra Stories

The Rescue of a DeerA rich person who does not spend his money is no richer than a poor man, because both the poors and misers are equally not able to enjoy the lavishness that money can buy. While there is no greater thing on earth than doing charity, there is no bigger enemy of self than miserliness. Stating such, Mandharaka completed the story of Somilaka, which he was telling to Hiranyaka and Laghupatanaka. The crow then advised Hiranyaka, "Listen to what the turtle is saying. Elders have said that it is easier to get friends who talk sweetly but difficult to find friends who venture to tell you the truth however bitter it is. The latter alone deserve to be called friends.  The crow and the mouse put a brake to their conversation when they saw a frightened deer darting towards the lake. The crow flew to the top of a tree. The mouse scampered into his hole and the turtle sank into the water. From the treetop, the crow could see the deer now clearly and told his other friends, "Friends, he is only a deer who is thirsty. These footfalls are not those of a man."  The turtle replied, "The deer is panting. It seems someone is chasing him. He has not come to quench his thirst. Surely, some hunter might be after him. Please go to the top of the tree and look if you can find any hunter."  Assured that these are friends only, the deer named Chitranga, now said, "Friend, you have guessed correctly. I have escaped the arrow of the hunter and reached here with difficulty. I am in search of a shelter the hunter cannot reach. Please show me a place safe from the hunter."  Mandharaka, the turtle, said, "the scriptures have mentioned two ways of escaping danger. One is to use your muscle power and another is to run as fast as you can. Now, run into the forest before the hunter could come."  "That is not necessary," said Laghupatanaka, the crow.  "I have seen the hunters taking a good catch of food and going the way they came. O Mandharaka, you can now come out of the water." With Chitranga, the deer, they became now four friends, happily spending time in each other’s company. The learned have said that when you have plenty of cordial conversation, to be happy you do not need a woman. The man who has no store of good words is not capable of uttering them. One day, Chitranga had not come when the other three had gathered at the lakeside for their daily discourse. They thought, "Poor Chitranga has not come so far. Is it possible that a lion or a hunter has killed him? Or, is it possible that he has fallen into a pit?" Well-wishers naturally suspect the worst when their near and dear ones are not seen for a while.  Mandharaka told the crow, "Friend, you know neither Hiranyaka nor I can move fast. You alone can fly and see more things than we can. Please go immediately and find out what is happening to our friend."  The crow did not fly too long before he saw Chitranga trapped in a hunter’s net near a small pond. Moved by his plight, the crow said, "Friend, what happened to you?" Trying to check tears in his eyes, the deer said, "Death is chasing me. It is good that you came to see me."  The crow said, "Friend, don’t lose courage when we are here. I will rush back and bring Hiranyaka here." Laghupatanaka flew fast to where the mouse and the turtle were anxiously waiting for him to come and tell them what happened to the deer. On hearing his account, Hiranyaka immediately decided that he should go and bite off the strings of the hunter’s net.  He got on to the back of the crow and together they flew to the spot where the deer lay helplessly in the hunter’s net. When the deer saw his friends rushing to his aid, he realised how necessary it was to collect good friends and how nobody could overcome troubles without the help of good friends.  Hiranyaka asked the deer, "How did you, such a learned being, get into this hole?" The deer replied, "Friend, this is not a time for a debate. The hunter may come any time.