Puranic Encyclopaedia: A Comprehensive Dictionary with Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature c5.1405

c5.1405

Once there lived on a big banyan tree near the city of Viḍiśā a mongoose, an owl, a cat and a rat. The mongoose and the rat lived in two separate hollows at the foot of the tree, the cat in a cavity in the centre of the tree and the owl on the branches at the top. Of these the rat could be eaten by all the other three and the cat could kill all the rest. The rat and the mongoose afraid of the cat did stir out only during night time and the cat moved about day and night afraid of none wishing to catch hold of the rat and eat it. Their common place of activity was a rice-field nearby. Once a forester laid a net to catch the cat and the cat fell into the trap and lay there hanging inside the net. The rat coming that way saw the plight of the cat and jumped with joy. But soon the owl and the mongoose came to the spot and seeing their enemy, the cat, imprisoned rushed to catch hold of the rat. The rat then did a very clever thing. It went and tore open the net imprisoning the cat and when the cat jumped out of the net the owl and the mongoose ran away and disappeared. The rat went to its hole. This is a story to demonstrate the fact that with a change in the situation an enemy may turn out to be a friend. (Taraṅga 7, Madanamañcukālambaka, Kathāsaritsāgara).