(Adapted from a Sri Lankan folktale)
One day, a little calf was wandering alone, munching on tender grass. As the sun blazed above, he grew very thirsty and headed toward a nearby waterhole for a drink. But what he didn’t know was that a tiger was hiding nearby, waiting to pounce on any unsuspecting animal that came to quench its thirst.
The moment the calf lowered his head to drink, the tiger leapt out.
Terrified, the calf pleaded,
“Oh mighty tiger! Why do you want to eat me? I’m just skin and bones. My meat is tender and tasteless. Let me go, please! I promise, if you let me grow a little more—just a few years—I’ll become strong and plump from all the grass I eat. Then I’ll come back to this very spot, and you can have a proper feast.”
Hearing this, the tiger paused. There was pity in his eyes.
“Are you telling the truth?” the tiger asked.
“Will you really come back when you’re bigger?”
“I swear on my life,” said the calf. “I won’t forget this kindness. I’ll return to you when I’ve grown enough.”
The tiger thought for a moment and said,
“Well, I’m not terribly hungry today. I’ll spare you. But don’t you dare forget your words!”
To make sure the calf kept his promise, the tiger took a small bite out of the calf’s ear—just a mark to remember the deal.
Years passed, and the calf grew into a strong, muscular bull. He had powerful horns and a sturdy frame. One day, as fate would have it, he crossed paths again with the tiger.
The tiger growled,
“Ah, you’ve returned. You have kept your word. It's good you didn’t forget our deal. I am hungry today.”
“I haven’t forgotten,” the bull replied calmly. “I came just as I promised. But before you eat me, go fetch a spiky vine from the jungle and tie me up. Otherwise, I might get scared and run. If we are tied together, you can catch me even if I run”
The bull mentioned a vine called Kabarossa, grown in the jungles of Sri Lanka.
The tiger, thinking this would make his meal easier, agreed. He brought back a long, spiky creeper vine and tied one end around the bull’s neck. As he tied the other end to his neck, the bull suddenly charged!
He ran with all his might, dragging the startled tiger through the forest. The tiger crashed into rocks and trees, getting scraped and bruised as the bull thundered ahead.
While being dragged through the undergrowth, the tiger began to realize he had been tricked. Through his pain, he groaned a verse:
“Too small to eat when he was young,
Now too strong and far too fast.
My mistake—I spared him once,
Don't drag me like this!”
Hearing this, the bull shouted back:
“I was weak, and I escaped,
Fooled you once, oh jungle cat.
Now I’m strong, and here you are—
Dragged by me, imagine that!”
Eventually, the tiger was battered and exhausted. The bull stopped and looked back.
He thought to himself, “He could have eaten me back then, but he didn’t. He showed me mercy. And I, too, made a promise—even if I didn’t truly mean it.”
Feeling a touch of guilt and honor, the bull loosened the vine and set the tiger free.
Bruised and humiliated, the tiger limped away into the forest, and the bull stood tall—no longer a helpless calf, but a creature of strength, wit, and character.
Moral: Kindness is not always repaid, and promises made in fear are not always kept—but cleverness and courage can turn the tables in life’s wildest moments.
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