Greedy Jackal – Kid’s Story [Hitopdesh Katha]

🎧 Listen to the narrated version of this Hitopdesh story:

Long ago, there lived a hunter in the village near a forest. The forest was a home to a large variety of animals and birds. Thus, the hunter had a good source of livelihood.

One morning, the hunter set out for the hunt. Fortune was on his side, so he found a deer after searching for it till afternoon. The hunter was good at his work thus he hunt it down straight away. He carried the deer over his shoulder and started for home happily.

On the way, he saw a well fed, fat, wild boar. Hunter was thrilled on seeing it.

He thought, “Oh God, thanks for being so generous! Once I hunt this wild boar I’ll not have to leave home for days.”

He quickly dropped the deer on the ground and shot the boar with an arrow. With a horrifying grunt, the boar charged at the hunter. Collecting all its strength, the wild boar hit the hunter in his stomach with its tusks.

It attacked the hunter so furiously that he died in an instant. In this clash, the boar was also badly hurt so, it too collapsed and died.

During their fight, there was a snake passing by. The poor creature was trampled and crushed to death. Now, there were the deer, the hunter, the wild boar and snake lying dead on the spot.

After a while, a jackal arrived there searching for some food. He just hopped up in happiness to see a deer, a man, a boar and a snake – all dead at the same place!

The jackal thought, “Ah! How lucky the day is! It looks as if I am going to have a treat. I’m fed up of eating other animals’ leftover food. God has sent me this wonderful treasure today. I am not any stupid animal but a wise jackal so, I know how to use this fortunate offering.

I’ll eat only a limited portion at a time so it will last me longer.

And so forth, the jackal decided to start with the smallest chunk of meat stuck around the arrow. As soon as, the jackal put the arrow in its mouth; the metal pierced his jaws and went through its head. The greedy animal was put to death at once.

Now there were four animals and a man no longer alive just because of one vice called Greed!!

The moral

Greed always leads to downfall and ruin. Hoarding far beyond one’s need with excessive desire ultimately brings unexpected destruction.

The End.

Read more short stories for kids at Turtle Diary.