The Lion, Camel, Jackal and the Crow- This story starts in a jungle which was ruled by a strong lion known as Madotkata. In addition to various other animals in the jungle, this lion king had a jackal, a leopard, and a crow at his disposal. The animals were wandering around the jungle as usual when the lion king saw a camel approaching them.
This camel had departed from its caravan and it was feeding on the grass of the jungle. The lion got mesmerized by the creature and advised the other animals to confront the camel and inquire about his origins.
The crow who has flown to many far places was aware of what the camel was and so he told the lion king that the animal he saw was a camel and they live in villages. He told the Lion King that the meat of this animal tasted very good. He told the lion that they should kill the animal and eat it.
The lion disagreed with the request of the crow and told him that the camel didn’t belong to their jungle and so he was their guest. He told the crow that he wouldn’t kill their guest. The lion then instructed the crow to go and tell the camel that he should be rest assured that they wouldn’t harm him.
The lion instructed the crow to bring him the camel. After the crow and other king’s attendants gained the lion’s trust, the camel eventually materialized in front of the predator. The king was addressed by the camel, who bent down to him and told him how he ended himself in the forest and how his family had abandoned him.
Upon learning this, the lion warned the camel that all he would have to do in his community was carry a large load. The lion told the camel to remain in the jungle instead and he explained to him, how the camel could enjoy a feast and live in the jungle without fear.
After the camel agreed to the lion’s invitation, they began to live in harmony and peace in the jungle. One day, while fighting with an elephant, the lion was severely wounded. His injuries were so bad that they prevented him from walking normally. He also couldn’t go hunting as he used to do.
The lion lost all of his food, which made him weaker. The animals in the kingdom were also hungry because they depended on the lion for food. When the lion couldn’t bear the hunger anymore, he called his servant to find him any animal that he could prey on even with his weak condition.
The lion told his servant that this was the only way he could provide for them. All the animals searched the whole jungle in search of prey, but they couldn’t find any. While returning to the lion king, the jackal came up with a plan.
The jackal told the crow that there wasn’t any point in wandering the jungle when their food was standing right in front of them. He told them that the camel could provide food for them. The crow replied that the jackal was right, however reminded them that the lion had assured the camel that he would be safe in the jungle and he had also refused to kill the camel.
The jackal told the crow that he would influence the lion in a way that he would agree to kill and eat the lion. He told the rest of the animals to wait for his return. The jackal later informed the lion that they had looked throughout the bush but had not come across any animals.
The jackal continued to tell the lion that they hadn’t had any food so they all couldn’t walk properly. He told the lion that they should kill the camel so that they could eat his meat. The lion didn’t agree to this plan and he expressed how disappointed he was in them.
The lion told his servant that it was a sin to even consider eating the camel. The jackal continued to persuade the lion. He told the lion that if the camel would offer himself as food, then it wouldn’t be a sin. The jackal tried to persuade the lion to kill one of them and feast on them.
The lion disagreed with what the jackal suggested. The jackal then went back to the other animals and told them that their master was sick. If something bad happened to him, there would be no one else to protect them. He told the rest of the animals that the only way for their master to survive was if one of them offered themselves to him. He said that this will save them from hunger.
As the jackal had planned, all the animals stood in front of the lion and they bowed. The animals told the lion that they were unable to locate any other animals to eat. The lion offered himself as dinner after the crow informed him that they were unable to locate any other animals. The jackal stopped the crow and told him that he was too small for the master to eat.
The jackal faced the lion and told him to accept his offer instead. To avoid starvation, the jackal advised the lion to eat him instead. The lion disagreed and the rest of the animals started to offer themselves to the lion.
The camel, who was seeing all of this from a distance, considered giving himself to the lion as well. However, the only problem was that the lion was refusing to kill any of the animals.
The camel told the other animals that the lion could not eat them. This is because they were carnivores, however, he would be the one to offer himself. The camel then went to the lion and offered himself. Without wasting any time, the animals rejoiced and the lion jumped and killed the camel.