The Clever Crows and the Wicked Cobra
A Panchatantra Tale for Young Children
Chapter 1: The Beautiful Banyan Tree Home
High above a sparkling river, there stood the most magnificent banyan tree in the entire forest. Its thick, strong branches stretched out like loving arms, providing shade and shelter to many creatures.
In the very top of this beautiful tree, a crow couple named Kala and Kali had built the most wonderful nest. They had woven it carefully with soft twigs, dried grass, and even some colorful feathers they had found.
“Oh, Kala!” said Kali, the female crow, as she arranged some fresh leaves in their nest. “Isn’t our home perfect? We have the best view of the river, plenty of food nearby, and the sweetest songs from all our bird neighbors!”
“You’re absolutely right, my dear Kali,” replied Kala, the male crow, as he brought back some delicious berries for their breakfast. “Caw-caw-caw!” he called out joyfully. “We are the luckiest crows in the whole forest!”
The tree was indeed a wonderful place to live. Chirp-chirp-chirp went the sparrows on the lower branches. Tweet-tweet-tweet sang the colorful parrots. Coo-coo-coo called the gentle doves.
Every morning, the forest would wake up with a beautiful symphony of bird songs, and Kala and Kali felt like they were living in paradise.
“Soon,” Kali said dreamily, “we’ll have little baby crows of our own, and they’ll grow up in this beautiful tree, surrounded by all this love and music!”
“What a wonderful thought!” Kala agreed, spreading his shiny black wings in the morning sunshine. “Our children will be the happiest little crows in the world!”
But little did they know that their perfect home held a terrible secret deep within its roots.
Chapter 2: The Hidden Danger
Far below, in a dark hollow at the very base of the banyan tree, lived the most wicked creature in the entire forest. His name was Nagendra, and he was a huge, black cobra with evil yellow eyes and a hood that could spread wide when he was angry.
Hissssss! went Nagendra as he slithered around in his gloomy home. “Stupid birds,” he muttered to himself. “Always singing, always chattering, always being so… happy! It makes me sick!”
You see, Nagendra was not just any ordinary cobra. He was mean, selfish, and loved nothing more than causing trouble for others. While all the other forest creatures tried to live in harmony, Nagendra spent his days plotting mischief.
“Those crows up there think they’re so special,” he hissed angrily, his forked tongue flicking in and out. “Living in their fancy nest, singing their annoying songs. Well, I’ll show them what happens when they disturb MY peace!”
One day, as Kali was sitting on her first batch of beautiful eggs, keeping them warm with her soft feathers, she noticed something that made her blood run cold.
Scritch-scratch-scritch came a sound from below.
“Kala!” she whispered urgently. “Do you hear that? Something is climbing up our tree!”
Kala flew over quickly and peered down through the branches. What he saw made his heart stop with fear.
There, slowly slithering up the trunk of their tree, was the biggest, most frightening cobra he had ever seen! Nagendra’s scales gleamed like black oil, and his eyes glowed with evil intent.
“Oh no!” Kala gasped. “Hide the eggs, Kali! Quickly!”
But it was too late.
Chapter 3: The First Tragedy
Hissssss! Nagendra raised his huge head as he reached their nest. “Well, well, well,” he said with a nasty grin. “What do we have here? Some delicious fresh eggs!”
“Please!” Kali begged, spreading her wings protectively over her eggs. “These are our babies! Don’t hurt them!”
“Please, Mr. Cobra,” Kala pleaded, landing on a nearby branch. “We’ve never done anything to harm you. Why do you want to hurt our children?”
Nagendra laughed cruelly. “Hah-hah-hah!” “Because I can!” he hissed. “Because your constant singing and chirping annoys me! And because… well, I’m simply hungry for some tasty eggs!”
Before the poor crows could do anything to stop him, Nagendra opened his huge mouth and GULP! swallowed their first egg.
“NOOO!” cried Kali, tears streaming down her face.
GULP! GULP! GULP! went Nagendra as he devoured every single one of their precious eggs.
“Mmm, delicious!” he said wickedly, licking his lips with his forked tongue. “I’ll be back for more whenever you lay new ones. This tree belongs to me now!”
And with that, the evil cobra slithered back down to his dark hole, leaving the heartbroken crows crying in their empty nest.
“Our babies!” Kali sobbed. “Our poor little babies!”
Kala wrapped his wing around his wife, his own heart breaking. “Don’t worry, my dear,” he said, though his voice was shaking with grief and anger. “We’ll find a way to stop this monster. I promise you that!”
Chapter 4: The Pattern of Cruelty
Sadly, Nagendra kept his wicked promise. Every time Kali laid new eggs, the evil cobra would wait for the perfect moment and then climb up to steal them.
The second time it happened, Kala and Kali tried to fight him off.
“Get away from our nest!” Kala cawed bravely, diving at the cobra with his sharp claws.
But Nagendra just laughed and raised his massive hood. Hissssss! “One bite from me, little bird, and you’ll never fly again!” he threatened.
Kala had to back away, knowing that the cobra’s poison would mean certain death.
GULP! GULP! GULP! Once again, all their eggs were gone.
The third time, they tried hiding their eggs in a different part of the tree.
“Maybe if we build a secret nest,” Kali suggested hopefully, “he won’t find it.”
But Nagendra’s sense of smell was too keen. Sniff-sniff-sniff! “I can smell fresh eggs from a mile away!” he boasted, and once again, GULP! GULP! GULP! their hopes were shattered.
The fourth time, they tried staying awake all night to guard their eggs.
But the crafty cobra waited until the tired birds dozed off from exhaustion, and then… GULP! GULP! GULP!
Poor Kali was heartbroken. “We’ll never have a family,” she wept. “That horrible cobra will always steal our babies!”
“I feel so helpless,” Kala said sadly. “He’s too big for us to fight, too strong for us to scare away, and too clever for us to outwit. What can two small crows do against such a powerful enemy?”
Chapter 5: Seeking Wise Counsel
One morning, after losing their fifth batch of eggs, Kala had an idea.
“Kali, my dear,” he said, “do you remember Vidya, the wise jackal who lives by the mango grove? Everyone in the forest says he’s the smartest animal around. Maybe he can help us!”
“Oh yes!” Kali’s eyes brightened with hope for the first time in weeks. “Vidya is known for solving impossible problems! Let’s go see him right away!”
Flap-flap-flap went their wings as they flew across the forest to the mango grove, where the clever jackal Vidya made his home.
They found him sitting peacefully under a mango tree, reading from some leaves that had markings on them (for Vidya was one of the few animals who could read human writing).
“Good morning, Vidya,” called Kala as they landed nearby. “We need your help desperately!”
Vidya looked up with kind, intelligent eyes. “Ah, Kala and Kali! I can see by your sad faces that something terrible has happened. Please, sit down and tell me everything.”
So the two crows told Vidya their whole sad story – about their beautiful nest, about the wicked cobra Nagendra, and about all their lost eggs.
“Every time we have eggs,” Kali said, crying again, “that horrible snake steals them! We’ve tried everything we can think of, but nothing works. He’s too powerful for us!”
Vidya listened carefully, nodding his head and stroking his whiskers thoughtfully.
“Hmm,” he said when they finished. “This is indeed a serious problem. Nagendra sounds like a very dangerous enemy.”
“Can you help us?” Kala asked hopefully.
Vidya smiled wisely. “My dear friends, there’s an old saying: ‘Even the mightiest enemy can be defeated by wit and cleverness.’ You may not be strong enough to fight this cobra, but you are certainly smart enough to outwit him!”
Chapter 6: The Brilliant Plan
“Really?” Kali asked excitedly. “You have a plan to defeat Nagendra?”
“Indeed I do!” Vidya said, his eyes twinkling with mischief. “But it will require great courage and perfect timing. Are you ready to hear it?”
“Yes!” both crows said together.
Vidya leaned forward and began to explain his brilliant scheme.
“Now, listen carefully,” he said. “Not far from here is the capital city, where the King and Queen live in a magnificent palace. Every morning, the Queen goes to bathe in the royal lake, and she leaves her precious jewelry on the banks while she swims.”
“Jewelry?” Kala asked, confused. “How will jewelry help us defeat a cobra?”
“Patience, my friend,” Vidya chuckled. “You see, the Queen’s jewelry is always guarded by royal soldiers. These soldiers are very brave and very strong, and they carry sharp swords and long spears.”
Kali began to understand. “You want us to steal something from the Queen?”
“Exactly!” Vidya nodded. “Here’s what you must do: Tomorrow morning, fly to the royal lake. When the Queen is bathing and the guards are watching, swoop down and grab the most beautiful, most valuable necklace you can find.”
“But won’t the guards try to stop us?” Kala asked nervously.
“Of course they will!” Vidya grinned. “And that’s exactly what we want! When they chase you, you must fly slowly – just fast enough to stay ahead of them, but slowly enough that they can follow you all the way back to your tree.”
“And then?” Kali asked, beginning to understand the plan.
“And then,” Vidya said with a clever smile, “you drop the necklace right into Nagendra’s hole! When the soldiers arrive and see their precious royal jewelry being guarded by a dangerous cobra, what do you think they’ll do?”
“They’ll fight the cobra to get the necklace back!” Kala exclaimed.
“Precisely!” Vidya clapped his paws together. “And royal soldiers are much stronger and better armed than one cobra, no matter how big he is!”
Chapter 7: The Daring Mission Begins
The next morning, Kala and Kali woke up very early, their hearts pounding with nervous excitement.
“Are you ready, my brave wife?” Kala asked.
“I’m ready,” Kali replied, though her voice was a little shaky. “For our future babies, I’ll do anything!”
Flap-flap-flap they flew toward the capital city as the sun was just rising, painting the sky in beautiful colors of pink and gold.
Soon they could see the magnificent royal palace with its golden domes and colorful flags. And there, just as Vidya had said, was the beautiful royal lake, sparkling like a jewel in the morning light.
“Look!” whispered Kali. “There’s the Queen!”
Queen Rajeshwari was indeed there, preparing for her morning bath. She was the most beautiful woman they had ever seen, wearing a silk sari that shimmered like peacock feathers. And on the marble steps beside the lake, her jewelry lay glittering in the sunshine – necklaces of gold and pearls, bracelets with precious gems, and earrings that sparkled like stars.
“There must be a dozen soldiers guarding her,” Kala observed, watching the alert guards who stood at attention around the lake.
“Perfect,” Kali said, remembering Vidya’s plan. “The more guards, the better!”
They perched on a nearby tree and waited. Soon, Queen Rajeshwari stepped gracefully into the warm water, and the guards relaxed slightly, though they still kept their eyes moving, watching for any danger.
“Now’s our chance!” Kali whispered.
Chapter 8: The Great Jewel Heist
Kali took a deep breath and dove down toward the jewelry. She had spotted the perfect target – a magnificent necklace made of the largest, most beautiful pearls she had ever seen, with a huge ruby in the center that glowed like a tiny sun.
Whoosh! Down she flew, quick as lightning.
“Look out!” shouted one of the guards. “A crow is going for the Queen’s jewelry!”
But Kali was too fast. She grabbed the heavy necklace in her strong beak and immediately took off again.
“Stop that bird!” yelled the captain of the guards. “That’s the Queen’s most precious necklace!”
“After her, men!” commanded another soldier. “We cannot let a common crow steal from our Queen!”
Clank-clank-clank went their armor as the soldiers started running, following Kali as she flew away with the sparkling necklace.
Kala flew alongside his brave wife. “You did it!” he called out proudly. “Now remember – fly slowly!”
It was harder than they thought. The necklace was heavy, and Kali’s natural instinct was to fly as fast as possible to escape. But she forced herself to fly slowly and low, just as Vidya had instructed.
“There she goes!” the soldiers shouted, pointing up at her. “Don’t let her get away!”
“She’s flying toward the forest!” called out the captain. “Follow her, men! We must recover the Queen’s necklace at all costs!”
The chase was on! Thump-thump-thump went the soldiers’ boots on the ground as they ran through the streets of the city, then along the forest path, following the two crows.
Chapter 9: Leading the Army Home
Puff-puff-puff went the soldiers as they ran, getting more and more tired, but never giving up.
“How… much… farther?” panted one soldier.
“Keep… going!” wheezed the captain. “That… bird… can’t fly… slowly… forever!”
But Kali was determined. Even though the heavy necklace made her beak ache and her wings tired, she kept flying at just the right speed – fast enough to stay ahead of the soldiers, but slow enough for them to keep following.
“Almost there!” Kala encouraged her. “I can see our tree!”
And indeed, there in the distance was their beautiful banyan tree, looking peaceful and innocent in the morning sunshine. None of the soldiers had any idea that they were about to walk into a confrontation with the most dangerous cobra in the forest.
“Look!” Kali called out to her husband. “Nagendra is basking in the sun right next to his hole! Perfect!”
Sure enough, the evil cobra was lying coiled up near the entrance to his dark burrow, enjoying the warm morning rays. He was half-asleep and completely unaware of what was coming.
“Get ready!” Kala said. “Remember, you have to drop the necklace right in front of his hole!”
“I’m ready!” Kali replied bravely.
As they approached the tree, Kali flew directly over Nagendra’s burrow and opened her beak. The beautiful pearl necklace fell through the air and landed with a soft thump right at the entrance to the cobra’s home.
The noise woke Nagendra immediately. Hissssss! “What’s this?” he said, seeing the sparkling jewelry. “Some human treasure? How interesting!”
He coiled himself around the necklace protectively, his evil eyes gleaming with greed.
Chapter 10: The Final Confrontation
Just then, the royal soldiers came crashing through the forest.
Crash-bash-crash went the bushes as they pushed through the undergrowth.
“There!” shouted the captain, pointing at the base of the banyan tree. “I can see something sparkling! The necklace must be there!”
The soldiers burst into the clearing and stopped short when they saw what was waiting for them.
HISSSSSSSS! Nagendra rose up to his full, terrifying height, his hood spread wide, his yellow eyes blazing with fury. The precious necklace glittered beneath his coiled body.
“By the King’s beard!” gasped one soldier. “It’s a giant cobra!”
“And he’s guarding the Queen’s necklace!” said another.
The captain drew his sword. Schwing! “Men,” he commanded, “we have our orders. That necklace belongs to our Queen, and we will not return to the palace without it!”
“But Captain,” said a nervous young soldier, “that’s the biggest cobra I’ve ever seen!”
“Are you afraid of one snake?” the captain challenged. “We are the royal guard! We’ve faced tigers, wild boars, and enemy armies! Surely we can handle one cobra, no matter how big!”
HISSSSSSSS! Nagendra reared up even higher, baring his venomous fangs. “Foolish humans!” he snarled. “This treasure is mine now! Come any closer and I’ll poison you all!”
But the soldiers were brave and determined. They had been trained to protect the royal family and their treasures, and they would not be frightened away by threats.
“Attack formation!” ordered the captain. “Surround the snake! Use your spears and swords!”
Clank-clank-clank went their weapons as the soldiers formed a circle around the angry cobra.
From high above in their tree, Kala and Kali watched with amazement and hope.
“It’s working!” Kali whispered excitedly. “Vidya’s plan is actually working!”
Chapter 11: The Battle of Justice
What followed was the most exciting battle the forest had ever seen!
HISSSSSS! STRIKE! Nagendra lunged at the first soldier with lightning speed.
CLANG! The soldier blocked the attack with his shield.
Swoosh-swoosh-swoosh! went the spears as the soldiers jabbed at the cobra from all sides.
Nagendra was fast and dangerous, but he was outnumbered. Every time he struck at one soldier, two others would attack him from behind.
HISSSSSS! “You cannot defeat me!” Nagendra boasted. “I am the terror of this forest!”
“Maybe you were,” said the captain bravely, “but today your reign of terror ends!”
The battle went on for several minutes. Nagendra managed to knock down two soldiers with his powerful tail, but their armor protected them from serious harm. Meanwhile, the soldiers’ spears began to find their mark.
Thwack! Thunk! Poke! The spears struck again and again.
Finally, Nagendra realized he was beaten. With one last angry HISSSSSS! he collapsed, defeated forever.
“Victory!” shouted the soldiers. “The beast is defeated!”
The captain carefully picked up the Queen’s precious necklace, checking to make sure it wasn’t damaged.
“Perfect!” he said with relief. “Not a single pearl is missing. The Queen will be so pleased!”
“Let’s get this treasure back where it belongs,” said another soldier.
And with that, the brave royal guards marched back toward the capital, carrying the recovered necklace and singing victory songs.
Tra-la-la-la! We defeated the snake! Tra-la-la-la! For the Queen’s sake!
Chapter 12: Sweet Victory and New Beginnings
As soon as the soldiers were gone, Kala and Kali flew down to the base of their tree. There, coiled up and completely still, lay their enemy Nagendra.
“Is he…?” Kali asked softly.
“Yes,” Kala said with relief. “The wicked cobra who stole our babies is gone forever.”
They stood there for a moment in amazement. After all these weeks of feeling helpless and heartbroken, their terrible enemy had finally been defeated!
“We did it!” Kali said, hardly believing it was true. “We actually did it!”
“WE did it?” Kala said with a laugh. “MY brave wife did it! You were the one who flew that dangerous mission and carried that heavy necklace all the way home!”
“We BOTH did it,” Kali corrected him. “And we never could have done it without Vidya’s brilliant plan!”
CAW-CAW-CAW! they called out joyfully, and soon all the birds in the forest came to hear the wonderful news.
“The cobra is gone!” chirped the sparrows.
“The tyrant is defeated!” tweeted the parrots.
“The forest is safe again!” cooed the doves.
What a celebration there was that day! All the creatures who had lived in fear of Nagendra came out to sing and dance and rejoice.
Chapter 13: Gratitude and Wisdom
That evening, Kala and Kali flew to the mango grove to thank their wise friend Vidya.
“Vidya!” Kali called out as they landed near his home. “Your plan worked perfectly! Nagendra is gone forever!”
The clever jackal smiled warmly. “I’m so happy to hear it, my dear friends. You were both very brave to carry out such a dangerous mission.”
“We could never have done it without your wisdom,” Kala said gratefully. “You saved our future family!”
“Actually,” Vidya said thoughtfully, “I think this adventure has taught us all something important. You see, you thought you were helpless because you were small and the cobra was big. But size and strength aren’t everything. Sometimes the smallest creatures can defeat the biggest enemies by using their minds instead of their muscles.”
“That’s so true!” Kali agreed. “I never would have imagined that two little crows could defeat such a powerful cobra!”
“And,” Vidya continued, “you also learned that when you have a problem that seems impossible to solve alone, it’s wise to ask for help from friends who might see solutions you can’t see.”
“Thank you for being such a wonderful friend,” Kala said warmly.
“And thank you for teaching us that brains are better than brawn!” added Kali.
Chapter 14: The Happy Ending
A few weeks later, Kali laid a new batch of beautiful eggs in their peaceful nest.
This time, there was no evil cobra lurking below to threaten their babies. The hollow at the base of the tree stood empty, and wildflowers had begun to grow around its entrance, making it look pretty instead of scary.
“Oh, Kala!” Kali said happily as she sat on her warm eggs. “Can you hear that?”
Tap-tap-tap! came tiny sounds from inside the eggs.
“Our babies are getting ready to hatch!” Kala said excitedly.
Soon, three tiny, fluffy baby crows pecked their way out of their shells. Peep-peep-peep! they called to their parents.
“Hello, little ones!” Kali said lovingly. “Welcome to the world!”
“We’ve been waiting so long to meet you!” Kala added joyfully.
The baby crows grew strong and healthy in their safe nest high in the banyan tree. When they were old enough, their parents told them the story of how they had defeated the wicked cobra.
“Always remember,” Kala taught them, “when you face a problem that seems too big to handle, use your brain to find a clever solution.”
“And never be afraid to ask wise friends for help,” added Kali.
“Yes, Mama! Yes, Papa!” the little crows chirped.
And from that day forward, the banyan tree was known throughout the forest as a place of peace, safety, and happiness, where clever crows had once defeated evil through wisdom and courage.
The End
The Moral of The Story
Intelligence and cleverness can overcome even the most powerful enemies. When you face a problem that seems impossible to solve with strength alone, use your mind to find a smart solution. Don’t be afraid to ask wise friends for help – sometimes they can see solutions that you cannot see. Even the smallest person can defeat the biggest bully by using wit instead of force.
Fun Questions for Young Readers:
- Why couldn’t Kala and Kali fight the cobra directly?
- What made Vidya’s plan so clever?
- Why was it important for Kali to fly slowly while carrying the necklace?
- How did the crows turn their enemy’s strength against him?
- What would have happened if the crows had tried to solve the problem without asking for help?
- Can you think of a time when you solved a problem by being clever instead of using force?
- Why is it important to ask for help when we face difficult problems?
Additional Lessons:
- Teamwork: The crows succeeded by working together and with their friend Vidya
- Courage: Sometimes being brave means being smart, not just being strong
- Justice: The evil cobra was defeated because of his own wicked actions
- Hope: Even when things seem hopeless, there’s often a solution if we think creatively
This story teaches us that wisdom, courage, and friendship can overcome any challenge, no matter how frightening it may seem. Brain power is often more effective than muscle power!
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