There once lived a pride of lions in an ancient forest. The leader of the pride was also the King of the forest. He was known to be strong, fierce but fair and generally peace reigned in that area. There was a natural order of life, everyone took just as much out of the forest as they needed and that was OK. When someone went off the rails or drifted into excess, the King and his pride restored order. The forest enjoyed a long period of prosperity and became famous for its prosperity and good life of its denizens. All species in that forest co-existed mostly in peace and mutual dependence. There chose to play a symbiotic role that benefitted their society and gave the best from their inner nature as a species. Even the sheep and goats from the nearby villages, which came to graze in some meadows adjoining the forest were safe from the lions. They knew and respected the rule of the humans who shepherded them. Unless provoked or in extreme situations, they lions hunted within the forest, when they needed food. The lion cubs even played with the little sheep. The villagers too respected the lions and their cubs and the rules of the forest. They knew one would not come to harm from another.
On the outer fringes of forest lived a pack of Hyenas and Jackals who ran a pack rule. They were powerful as a group and united for common benefit, but were given to excesses, meanness and survived by cunning more than might or a sense of justice. They were highly envious of the forest ruled by the pride of lions. They always coveted the abundance of the forest and wanted to take it over. They found it hard to do so by a straightforward attack. They tried a few times and had to retire in defeat and loss.
One day, as the jackals held a gathering, one of the oldies came up with an idea. He said, “I think I know how to defeat the lions!”
“How?” asked one of the pack leaders.
“Have you all seen how the lions and their cubs are friendly with the humans and their cattle? The lion cubs even play with the little sheep,” answered the old jackal.
“Yes, we know! It is not possible to turn the humans against these lions,” said the other, “If anything the humans hate us. They respect the lions and the forest.”
“Would it not be good if the lions were like sheep?” said the old jackal, with a cunning smile.
“What?!! A lion is a lion and a sheep is sheep. How can one be like another?” exclaimed the pack leader.
“Just for a moment, imagine if the lions were to behave and think like sheep, how good would it be? The sheep are timid, and believe they need someone to look after and protect them. They trust themselves entirely to the humans who benefit from them and protect them as their property. If the lions were like sheep, they would be worse off than the sheep. The humans will NOT protect them – thinking they are strong and can take care of themselves.”
And so it happened. The cunning jackals befriended an ewe who had once lost a little one in the forest many years ago. Her little ones used to play with the lion cubs of the leader of the pride of lions at the banks of the river that ran along the borders of the forest. The lion cubs used to follow the little sheep, even suckle with them at the ewes. They were good friends and spent a lot of time together. Often the cubs walked back home late in the evenings. No one bothered them and the forest was safe for them. The cunning jackals asked their ewe friend to stay at the back of the herd and lead the cubs farther and farther away from the edge of the forest. They did not return to spend enough time with their own family and pride. They grew up thinking and behaving like sheep. So, over the next generation, when the cubs grew up to be adults, they did not feel or think like a lion. They thought like sheep! They did not have the self-confidence or pride in themselves. They ran away in fright at the sight of a pack of jackals!
The cunning jackal’s plan was complete. That was the end of peace and prosperity in the forest. It became a jungle, all animals looking out for only themselves. There was no longer any security. Every animal looked at the other with suspicion, which was further fed by the jackals and their cohorts. The forest fell into ruin..
This is how a truly wise old saying came into being – “The way to defeat a lion is to make him think he is a sheep.”
Copyright (c) Kannan Narayanamurthy 2014
All rights reserved
On the outer fringes of forest lived a pack of Hyenas and Jackals who ran a pack rule. They were powerful as a group and united for common benefit, but were given to excesses, meanness and survived by cunning more than might or a sense of justice. They were highly envious of the forest ruled by the pride of lions. They always coveted the abundance of the forest and wanted to take it over. They found it hard to do so by a straightforward attack. They tried a few times and had to retire in defeat and loss.
One day, as the jackals held a gathering, one of the oldies came up with an idea. He said, “I think I know how to defeat the lions!”
“How?” asked one of the pack leaders.
“Have you all seen how the lions and their cubs are friendly with the humans and their cattle? The lion cubs even play with the little sheep,” answered the old jackal.
“Yes, we know! It is not possible to turn the humans against these lions,” said the other, “If anything the humans hate us. They respect the lions and the forest.”
“Would it not be good if the lions were like sheep?” said the old jackal, with a cunning smile.
“What?!! A lion is a lion and a sheep is sheep. How can one be like another?” exclaimed the pack leader.
“Just for a moment, imagine if the lions were to behave and think like sheep, how good would it be? The sheep are timid, and believe they need someone to look after and protect them. They trust themselves entirely to the humans who benefit from them and protect them as their property. If the lions were like sheep, they would be worse off than the sheep. The humans will NOT protect them – thinking they are strong and can take care of themselves.”
And so it happened. The cunning jackals befriended an ewe who had once lost a little one in the forest many years ago. Her little ones used to play with the lion cubs of the leader of the pride of lions at the banks of the river that ran along the borders of the forest. The lion cubs used to follow the little sheep, even suckle with them at the ewes. They were good friends and spent a lot of time together. Often the cubs walked back home late in the evenings. No one bothered them and the forest was safe for them. The cunning jackals asked their ewe friend to stay at the back of the herd and lead the cubs farther and farther away from the edge of the forest. They did not return to spend enough time with their own family and pride. They grew up thinking and behaving like sheep. So, over the next generation, when the cubs grew up to be adults, they did not feel or think like a lion. They thought like sheep! They did not have the self-confidence or pride in themselves. They ran away in fright at the sight of a pack of jackals!
The cunning jackal’s plan was complete. That was the end of peace and prosperity in the forest. It became a jungle, all animals looking out for only themselves. There was no longer any security. Every animal looked at the other with suspicion, which was further fed by the jackals and their cohorts. The forest fell into ruin..
This is how a truly wise old saying came into being – “The way to defeat a lion is to make him think he is a sheep.”
Copyright (c) Kannan Narayanamurthy 2014
All rights reserved
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