3.1 Panchtantra - How The Owls And The Crows Became Enemies

Once upon a time, all birds of the forest gathered to find their new king. They all were unhappy with Garuda, the then king as he lived in heaven and never cared about his masses.

After long discussion, which included arguments, the birds agreed to crown the owl as their new king.

The birds started preparation for the coronation ceremony.

While they were making the preparations, a crow flew and said, "Why have you all chosen this ugly old owl as your king? Don't you all know it blind during the daytime? You should remember that owls are birds of prey, so they might attack other birds and kill them. You should think of choosing bird such as swan or peacock as your king".

Hearing what the crow said about owl as the king, the birds stopped their preparations and became thoughtful. They decided to stop the preparations and reelect their king. Everyone became quite and still.

Meanwhile, the owl eagerly awaited his coronation. He was anxious about the unexpected delay. As it was daytime, the owl could see nothing around and understand. After sometime, the anxious crow inquired about the matter from one of his attendant.

The attendant replied, "My Lord, the birds have decided to elect their king again. They have stopped the preparations for your coronation ceremony. Until then, they have returned to their hideouts".

The owl felt insulted. He asked the attendant angrily, "Why so?"

"A crow came and told the birds that we owls are ugly, day blind and predators. We may kill birds instead of protecting and effectively ruling them".

The owl was furious to hear this. He told a crow seated nearby, "Because of your evil words, I have been de            prived from kingship. Remember from now onwards we are sworn enemies. Beware of us".

The crow soon realized his folly and unhoughful use of words.

Moral: Words once spoken cannot be taken back. Therefore, one should think twice before speaking or acting.