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THE STORY OF THE GREEDY CROW.
A rutting elephant living on Mount fere Vindhya, distressed with thirst, during summer, one day went to tatt Révā Nadi, river Narmadā. There, his feet slipped down and he fell down into the river, like a huge inountain-peak tumbling down. On seeing that the elephant was dead, jackals came there, and began eating his flesh. They then, made a big hole in the upper aperture of his body. Many crows used to enter the hole and feel themselves happy by eating his flesh. While one crow entering his body was busily engaged in eating away flesh from the interior of his body, the aperture of his body, contracting under the influence of heat, became closed up tight and the greedy crow remained inside.
With the advent of the rainy season, the dead body of the elephant was led into the great ocean. Constantly wet with cold water, the dead body became enormously swollen, the aperture opened wide and the imprisoned crow came out. As he looked around, he saw water everywhere. The distressed ar'ow repeatedly flied up and could find nothing but the dead body to sit on, but there was no end of the ocean. The dead body of the elephant, filled up with water was drowned into the ocean and along with it, the crow died by drowning.
Jambū Kumāra addressing his wife said “ O dear!
*1997anfrot: pret, Aretagsamrata 1 Fv 793 ! Forfa, fisi Er a II ?!!
i Kākavat kariņah kāyé, nāridéhé'nurāgavān; Katham priyél na majjāmi so’ham mohā:ubudhāviva.
1. O dear! How can I not be drowned in the ocean of Moha, (infatuation) by attachment to the body of a female, like the crow attached to the body of the elephant ? ..
