Folk tale from South Asia.

Long, long ago there lived a big herd of elephants in a forest. The leader of that herd was Chaturdant. They had all been living happily together , until one year when it didn't rain at all. All the ponds, wells, puddles and lakes went dry. Everyone was worried. So they went to their leader and said, "Lord, all of us are dying with thirst. Please do something! Please find some other lake for us!"

Chaturdant didn't sleep the whole night, trying to think of some place where they could find plenty of water. He finally remembered a place where there was a big lake. The next morning he called all his worried subjects and told them, "There is a big lake far away from here. It is always filled with water from an underground spring called the Patalganga."

So it was decided that they would go there. The next morning they all started the long journey. They traveled for five nights and finally reached there. When they saw the big lake full of water they all were so happy that they drank till they could drink no more, and played in the water all day long. At the time of sunset they left the lake and went to the nearby forest.

All around the lake the ground was very soft and there were many rabbit -holes in that soil. There was a big colony of rabbits there. The elephants who had spent a lot of time near the lake, playing and roaming here and there, had not only frightened the rabbits but, also had trampled and crumbled their holes and injured and killed many of the rabbits.

After the elephants left, the frightened and worried rabbits gathered round the lake. Some had lost their young ones, some had lost their parents and many had lost their holes." What are we supposed to do now? We are doomed! There is not a single lake as big as ours, so the elephants will now come here every day! And we all are going to be killed!" thought the rabbits

One rabbit said, "We'll have to leave our country. I can't think of any other solution."

Another said, "How can we leave this ancestral place? We have to frighten the elephants somehow, so that they won't dare to come here again".

But it was so difficult! The elephants were so big as compared to the rabbits, that there had to be something really awesome to frighten the elephants away.

They all thought and thought and at last came to the conclusion that they should choose a rabbit who is clever, smart, confident, skilled in many crafts and one who can understand other's minds .He would be their messenger and would talk to the leader of elephants and would tell the elephants that Moon-the king of the rabbits, is enraged because of this massacre they have done. And if they come again and trouble the rabbits he'd curse all of them. But the messenger had to be impressive enough to frighten them away.

They chose Lambakarna as their messenger, as he was smart and clever and was very well aware of a messenger's duties. He knew that he was their only hope in this terrible calamity. So he had to be very careful.

The next day, Lambakarna sat on a branch of a tall tree, which was on the way to the lake. When he saw the leader of the elephants, Chaturdanta coming near, he cried at once, "Hey! Wicked elephant! How dare you come to king Moon's lake without his permission? Now don't you come here again! Go back!"

"Who are you?", the dumbfounded elephant asked him.

The rabbit said, " I am Lambakarna. I live in this kingdom of the king Moon. The king has sent me as his messenger and I am giving you his message. This is my duty."

The elephant was impressed by the way he was talking. He said, "Tell me the King's message and I will obey it."

The rabbit said," Yesterday you came here with your herd and trampled and killed many rabbits. These rabbits are my retinue. Don't you know this? Isn't your life dear to you? If it is, don't ever come here again! This is the message of my king."

"Where is your king?", asked the elephant.

"Today he has come here, in our lake to offer condolences to the bereft rabbits, and he himself has sent me to meet you", Lambakarna said.

"OH! Has he come here? Then take me with you to see him. I will salute him and we all will go elsewhere."

"Okay, only you will come with me to see him, no other elephant should come with you. I will ask my king and will take you to see him when he is free."

At night when the moon rose and his reflection was visible in the lake, Lambakarna took Chaturdanta near the lake and told him, "The king is very angry with you elephants, so just salute him with reverence and go away promptly."

Chaturdanta was so frightened that he did what he was asked to do and went
away quickly with his herd and decided never to return to that lake. And so the rabbits resumed their peaceful and happy life near the lake!!!

Sadhana Saraf volunteers with non-profit groups in Pune