The Snake And The Priest
This is one of the best bedtime Panchatantra stories for children. It was a busy day at the market. A villager was selling snake gourds. Just then, a snake crawled from the bunch and scared the villagers. As the villagers ran for their lives, the snake felt very happy and proud.
“Funny people! How scared they are! I love playing pranks with them!” said the snake to himself. He often did this to amuse himself. Also, read The Goat Who Saved The Priest.
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One day, a priest stopped by the village. As usual, the snake crawled out of his pit and tried to scare him too. But the priest bravely stood his ground. “Hiss! Aren’t you scared?” asked the snake.
“Scared? I find you funny! Why do you waste your time doing such silly things? Do you think anyone in the village respects you? People are only scared of you. No one likes you! Try to change your ways and you will have a better life,” said the priest. Saying this, the priest went away. The snake was deeply affected by the priest’s words. He decided to change for the better.
A few days later, the priest visited the village again. But what he saw shocked him. The snake was bruised all over. “What happened to you?” asked the priest. “I just followed your advice. I stopped scaring people and I even stopped hissing at them. They beat me up all the time. What do I do, tell me oh great priest!” the poor snake asked him.
“Oh, poor thing! I told you not to kill or scare people for fun. But did I ever tell you not to hiss? God has given you the power to hiss for your own safety. Use it when needed but don’t abuse it,” replied the priest. You may also like to read, The Boy Who Was A Snake.
The snake understood the priest’s point. He thanked the priest for his kind advice and crawled away to his pit.