The Crow and the Black Snake

On a tall tree lived a crow and his wife, who had built their nest there together. Each year, when the female crow laid her eggs, a venomous black snake living in a burrow at the base of the tree would climb up and devour them.

This had happened year after year, leaving the crow couple deeply distressed. Each time new eggs were laid, the snake would consume them, and the helpless pair could only watch in despair, since confronting the snake directly was far too dangerous.

Once again, the female crow became pregnant and laid a fresh batch of eggs. Worried that the snake would devour these too, the male crow sought the advice of a wise friend — a jackal renowned throughout the forest for his cunning.

The jackal devised a clever plan. "Go to the nearby royal palace," he said, "where the princess bathes in the river each day and leaves her jewelry on the riverbank. Steal one of her valuable necklaces and drop it right at the entrance of the snake's burrow."

The crow followed this advice exactly. When the princess went to bathe, he swooped down and snatched her golden necklace, then flew back and dropped it directly at the mouth of the snake's burrow, just as the jackal had instructed.

The king's soldiers were sent out searching for the missing necklace, and their search eventually led them to the very tree where the necklace lay glittering near the burrow's entrance. As they dug to retrieve it, they discovered a large black snake hiding within.

Without hesitation, the soldiers killed the snake on the spot and retrieved the necklace before leaving. In this way, through cleverness and the advice of a good friend, the crow couple finally rid themselves of the snake forever, and from then on, their eggs and chicks remained safe.

Moral: When direct force cannot solve a problem, intelligence and cleverness can find a way. Sound advice from a trusted friend, given at the right moment, can prove invaluable.