Based on मगध की लोक कथाएं : अनुशाीलन एवं संचयन by डॉ. राम प्रसाद सिंह
Tags: friendship, trust, betrayal, animal fable, loyalty
The story revolves around a crow and a camel who are good friends. When the crow ventures away, the camel meets a cunning jackal who tricks it into crossing the river to eat cucumbers. Despite the crow's warnings about trusting strangers, the camel befriends the jackal, leading to daily cucumber feasts. However, when the farmer sets a trap, the jackal abandons the camel, leaving it to fend for itself. The crow devises a plan to help the trapped camel escape. Eventually, while running away, the jackal attacks and injures the camel. In the end, the crow and camel reunite and continue their friendship, highlighting themes of trust and loyalty.
एगो नदी किनारे पेड़ पर एगो कउवा रहऽ हल। ओकरे नीचे एगो ऊँट रहऽ हल । दूनो में इयारी हो गेल। दिन भर ऊँट आउ कउवा कहीं रहऽ हलन, बाकि रात में आन के एके साथ रहथ। दूनो अप्पन दिन भर के दुख-सुख बतिआथ । एक दिन कउवा कहीं दूर घूमे चल गेल, तो पेड़ तर एगो सिआर आयल । ऊ सिआर ऊँटवा से बतिआय लगल आउ दोस्त बना लेलक। तऽ सिआर कहलक कि नदी पार एगो खेत में ककरी फरल हे । उहाँ चलऽ तऽ हमनी खूब ककरी खाईं । ऊँटवा तइयार हो गेल।
नदी पार करे के बेरा भेल तऽ सिअरवा कहलक कि हम कइसे पार करीं । ऊँटवा कहलक कि तूं हमर पीठ पर बइठ जा। सिअरवा बइठ गेल आउ दूनो नदी पार कर गेलन। जाके खूब ककरी खयलक आउ ओइसहीं दूनो लौट गेलन । रात के कउवा पहुँचल तऽ ऊँटवा आज के सब हाल कहलक। कउवा कहलक कि ''कउनो अनजान से तुरते इयारी न कर लेवे के चाहीं । ऊ कइसन हे? काहे ला इयारी कयलक हे? जब तक न समझ लेल जाय तब तक केकरो पर तुरते विसवास न करे के चाहीं।'' कहके दोसर दिन कउवा फिर घूमे चल गेल तो सिअरवा फिनो ओइसहीं फूट खाय ला पार गेलक आउ खाके लौट गेलक । ई तरी ओहनी रोज नदी पार जाय लगलन आउ फूट खाय लगलन।
ओने खेत के किसान एहनी से परेसान हो गेल, आउ सोचलक कि कइसहूँ सरवन के फँसावे के चाहीं । ई सोच के किसनवाँ एगो जाल आन के खेत में बिछा देलक। रोज के तरह ऊँटवा आउ सिअरवा अयलन आउ फूट खाय लगलन। ऊँट राम तो जाल में बझ गेलन, आउ सिअरवा कइसहूँ उछिल-पछिल भाग गेल। तऽ ऊँटवा कहलक कि ''इयार, तू अप्पन दाँत से जलवा के काट दऽ !'' सिअरवा कहलक कि ''आज इयार, एतवार हवऽ । हम दाँत से जाल कइसे काटिव?'’ ऊँटवा के घिघिअयला पर भी ऊ जाल न काटलक आउ जा के नदी किनारे झलास में लुका गेल । ऊ सोचलक कि ऊँटवा तो आज मारल जायत तऽ खूब भोज चलत। अन्हारे किसानवा आयल तो देखलक कि आज सार पकड़यलन हे । ऊ मारे ला लउर उठौलक तो देखलक कि ऊँटवा मरल हे । ओकर आँख पर कउवाँ बइठ के खोदइत हे।
सिअरवा के भाग गेला पर उड़इत-उड़इत ऊ कउवा ओनही जाइत हल। इयार के ई हाल देखके ऊ समझ गेल कि ऊ सिअरवा के फेर में पड़ गेल हे। ऊ नजीक जाके कहलक कि ''तूं मरल नियन पड़ल रहऽ, आउ हम तोर आँख में खोदे लगववऽ। देख के मालिक अतवऽ आउ मरल जान के फेंक देतवऽ । हम कावं-कांव करबवऽ तो तूं बेतहासा भाग जइहँऽ!'' ऊँटवा कउवा के कहे के मुताबिक ओयसहीं पड़ल रहल आउ कउवाँ खोदइत हल से खेत के मालिक ओकरा नदी किनारे फेंकवा देलक। कउवाँ कावं-कावं कयलक तो ऊँट बेतहासा भागल जाइत हल। झलास में सिआर लुकायल हल । ऊँटवा झलासे-झलासे भागल जाइत हल कि ओकरा गोड़े तर सिअरवा जँता गेल आउ ओकर पेट फट गेल, आउ ऊ सब अँतरी-उतरी फेंक देलक। ऊँटवा नदी पार होके पेड़ तर आन के अप्पन कउवा के आसा में बइठ गेल। फिनो दूनो दोस्त हेल-मेल से रहे लगलन।
Once upon a time, there lived a crow on a tree by the river. Below the tree, there was a camel. Both had become friends. Throughout the day, the camel and the crow would roam around, but at night they would stay together. They would share the joys and sorrows of their day. One day, the crow went out to explore far away, and a jackal came to the tree. The jackal started talking to the camel and made friends with it. The jackal then said, "There’s a field across the river full of cucumbers. Let’s go there, and we can eat plenty of cucumbers." The camel agreed.
When it was time to cross the river, the jackal said, "How will we cross?" The camel replied, "You can sit on my back." The jackal climbed onto the camel’s back, and together they crossed the river. Once they reached the other side, they ate lots of cucumbers, and then both returned. When the crow returned at night, the camel told it all that had happened that day. The crow said, "One should never trust a stranger too quickly. Who is that jackal? Why did you become friends with him? Until you understand someone fully, you should not trust them."
Saying this, the next day, the crow went out to explore again. The jackal once again crossed over to the other side and returned after eating cucumbers. In this way, they started crossing the river daily to enjoy the cucumbers.
On the other hand, the farmer of the field became disturbed by them and thought that he should somehow trap them. With this thought, the farmer set a net in the field. As usual, the camel and the jackal came to eat cucumbers. The camel got caught in the net while the jackal managed to escape. The camel said, "My friend, bite the net with your teeth and help me out!" The jackal replied, "Sorry, my friend, but today is Sunday. How can I bite through the net?" Even when the camel begged him, the jackal didn’t help and instead went and hid by the riverbank. He thought that if the camel was captured today, there would be a grand feast.
When the farmer arrived in the evening, he saw that he had caught something today. He lifted the net to check and saw that the camel was trapped. A crow was sitting on the camel's eye, pecking at it.
As the jackal had fled, the crow was flying nearby. Seeing the state of its friend, the crow realized that the jackal had tricked the camel. It flew closer and said, "You lie still as if you’re dead, and I’ll start pecking at your eyes. When the farmer comes, he’ll think you’re dead and throw you away. I'll caw and caw, and you can run away!" The camel did as the crow instructed and lay still while the crow kept pecking. Eventually, the farmer threw the camel away by the riverbank after he thought it was dead. When the crow cawed, the camel ran away in a frenzy. The jackal had hidden in the bushes. As the camel was running away, the jackal sprang out and bit the camel's leg, causing its belly to burst open, spilling all its insides. Once the camel had crossed the river, it sat down by the tree, hoping to find its crow friend there. Thus, the two friends continued to stay together happily.