Puranic Encyclopaedia: A Comprehensive Dictionary with Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature c8.1801

c8.1801

Cirañjīvī from that day onwards started living with the owls. During day time when the owls slept, the old crow would fly hither and thither and collect such easily combustible materials as hay, dry grass and cotton and stock them beneath the tree covered with dry leaves. Two months went by like this and one day when the owls were sleeping Cirañjīvī set fire to the stock of dry materials beneath the tree. The owls were all burnt to death. Meghavarṇa and his friends congratulated Cirañjīvī on his success. Cirañjīvī said: To obtain difficult positions great men pass through difficult situations. If one is prepared to suffer hardships any object can be achieved. Once a cobra began to starve for want of food. It went to the land of frogs and told the king of frogs thus: "Friend, I am in difficulties. I happened to bite a brahmin boy and that boy died. The boy's father cursed me. I asked for forgiveness and then he said:—"You must carry your enemies, the frogs, on your back from one pond to another pond and live on the food they give you." The king of the frogs believed him and allowed his subjects to be carried away to another pond from the one in which they were then staying. The cobra ate all the frogs on the way and at last the king also was eaten. Thus to destroy the enemies one will have to carry them on one's backs sometimes. The crows were happy their enemies the owls were destroyed and they lived more happily and peacefully than before.