1 - An Intelligent Person and a Foolish Person

Once a lion forgot his way to his home and came towards a city. Since he was a wild animal, it became necessary to shut him up somewhere. Some people shut him with great efforts. So he was shut in a cage and was left on a round about for sending him later to city authorities.

Two days had passed but nobody came to take him. He was very hungry by that time. People used to pass that way, saw him, but just went away after seeing him. Who could have courage even to touch that cage? The lion requested several people passing that way to open his cage, and to let him go to forest, but no person would listen to him.

One man was watching this for some time. The lion requested him also. He pitied on him, he went to him and asked - "If I open you, you will not eat me up?" Lion said - "Oh, no, never. How can I eat that person who is going to free me. I will be really grateful to you if you open my cage. Please do open it." The man again confirmed that he would not eat him, and after confirming, he opened the cage and the lion came out of the cage.

Now he was a real lion. Immediately after he came out he said to that man - "Listen, I am very thankful to you that you listened to me and freed me, now since I have not eaten anything for several days I want to eat you. Where will I go to find my food now?" Though the man got very afraid, still he reminded him with courage about his promise not to eat him. But the lion was very hungry and he wanted to eat the man.

Now the man looked around but unfortunately saw nobody there from whom he could take help. He again requested him not to eat him, but the lion was adamant. In the mean time he saw a man coming towards him. The other man saw a man and a lion standing together, he immediately understood that the matter was serious. The first man told him the whole story and asked his help.

The other man said to lion - "This man has freed you, why do you want to eat him?" The lion said - "I am very hungry, that is why." The other man said - "In fact I am unable to understand the whole matter, would you explain me again?" The lion told the whole story since he was shut in the cage till he come out of the cage. The man said - "I am sorry, I am still unable to understand it, why don't you show me how you were shut in the cage?" The lion said "OK" and he went inside the cage and said to him - "I was standing like this before this man took me out."

The other man signaled the first man and he immediately dropped the door of the cage. Thus he was shut again in the cage and the man was saved.

[One should act after knowing the nature of other person. A lion is a meat-eating animal, that is his nature, then how can he live without eating meat, so it was foolish on the first man's part to free him. But intelligence is mightier than physical strength. The other man shut the lion with his intelligence. Thus the fools spoil the work of others with their foolishness and the intelligent people make up the spoiled work of others.]