Once upon a time, there was a golden deer that lived in the forest. Its fur was softer than silk and its eyes were sky-blue. The deer had the ability to speak like a human and was very wise and beautiful. It knew that humans were greedy creatures but still felt compassion towards them.
One day, while wandering in the jungle, the deer heard a man shouting. When it reached the source of the sound, it saw a man being swept away by the river’s current. The deer jumped into the river to save the drowning man and advised him to hold onto its legs. However, instead of grabbing the deer’s legs, the man climbed on its back. Although the deer could have easily shaken him off and saved itself, it chose to bear the pain and carried the man to safety.
Upon reaching the shore, the man thanked the deer, and the deer replied, “If you truly want to thank me, then do not tell anyone that you were saved by a golden deer.” The deer said, “If humans find out about me, they will try to hunt me.” With these words, the golden deer left the man and returned to the jungle.
Some time later, the queen of a kingdom dreamt of a golden deer. After seeing the beauty of the deer in her dream, the queen desired to keep it with her. She asked the king to find and bring the golden deer to her. Without delay, the king announced in the kingdom that whoever helped in finding the golden deer would be rewarded with a village and ten beautiful women.
The information reached the man who had been saved by the deer. He immediately went to the king’s court and told the king about the deer. The king, along with his soldiers, went into the forest to find the deer. When the king saw the deer, he was overjoyed because it was exactly as the queen had described. The deer was surrounded by soldiers, and the king aimed an arrow at it. However, the deer spoke in the human language to the king, saying, “O King, you may kill me, but first I want to know who showed you the way to me.” The king then gestured towards the man who had been saved by the deer.
Upon hearing the deer’s words, the king’s humanity awakened. He felt ashamed and angry at himself for his actions and instead of shooting the deer, he pardoned it. Moved by the deer’s compassion, the king invited it to stay in his kingdom as a guest. The deer stayed in the palace for a few days and then returned to the forest.
Moral of the story:
The story teaches us that we should never forget a favor, whether it’s done by a human or an animal.
