THE BULLOCK THAT GAVE BIRTH TO A CALF
Once upon a time, there was a poor cowherd named Sona. He bought a small calf and was taking it home. On the way, he stayed at a villager’s house. The villager was a greedy oilman. At night, the oilman made a trick. He put oilcake on the calf, untied his bullock, and let it lick the calf. Then he called the villagers and said, “Look! My bullock has given birth to this calf!”
In the morning, when Sona wanted to take his calf, the oilman stopped him. The villagers believed the oilman and asked, “If your calf is really yours, why was the bullock licking it?” Poor Sona was very sad and went into the forest.
There, a bird called chappa (nightjar) and a jackal promised to help him. They came with Sona to the village. First, the bird said, “I had a dream. I saw an egg sitting on another egg.” Then the jackal said, “I also had a dream. I saw the sea on fire.”
The villagers laughed, “These dreams are impossible! An egg cannot sit on another egg, and the sea cannot burn!”
The bird replied, “If these are impossible, then how can a bullock give birth to a calf?”
The villagers understood their mistake. They returned the calf to Sona and punished the greedy oilman.
Moral: Truth always wins, and lies can never last long.
