Sage and the snake

Story

Once upon a time, there was a very old banyan tree in a village. A highly poisonous snake lived in its branches. Whenever anyone passed by the tree, the snake would try to attack them.

One day, a saint was walking towards the village. He was very tired after walking a long distance. The saint noticed the old banyan tree and thought, "Let me rest under this tree for a while."

As the saint walked towards the tree, he saw a snake slithering out from its branches, ready to attack. The saint said a mantra, which calmed the snake down, and it lowered its hood.

The saint said to the snake, "Why do you attack innocent creatures and people for no reason? Let me teach you a mantra, chant it to calm your mind, and feel the presence of God within you."

After teaching the snake the mantra, the saint left the place.

Days passed, and the villagers noticed that the snake no longer harmed anyone. One day, some village children were playing near the banyan tree. The snake was chanting the mantra.

The children began throwing things at the snake and hitting it with their feet. But the snake remained calm. They even lifted it with a stick and threw it on the ground.

The snake, despite being injured, did not defend itself and managed to crawl back to its burrow.

For many days, the snake lay in its burrow without eating or drinking. It had stopped hunting altogether.

One day, the saint visited the village again. He went to see the snake and found it weak.

The saint asked, "How did you become so weak? It can't just be because of lack of food."

The snake replied, "When I stopped attacking others, some village children troubled me a lot. They threw stones at me and hurt me badly.

But even after all that, I followed your teachings and did not harm anyone." The saint was surprised to hear this. He said to the snake, "How foolish you are! I advised you not to harm others, but you could have hissed to scare those children and saved yourself."

The saint told the snake that to reach God, one should not only avoid harming others but should also not let others harm them. God rewards those who fight against all kinds of evil.