Once upon a time, there lived an old lion called Kharanakhara who was finding it harder and harder to find food. One day, after not being able to find anything to eat all day, the lion decided that he would have to find another way to find food. He came upon a large cave and thought to himself, “I think my dinner lives inside that cave. All I have to do is wait patiently for it to return.” And so Kharanakhara quietly hid inside the cave.

Now the cave belonged to a clever jackal named Hasya. When Hasya came back to his cave, he noticed giant paw prints going inside the cave but none coming out. “Ho ho ho, I think there’s someone waiting for me inside, but I’ll need to confirm it!” thought Hasya to himself. So he bellowed, “Why, good evening, cave! How was your day?” When the cave didn’t respond, Hasya  yelled out, “Why aren’t you replying, cave? If you don’t answer, I’ll go elsewhere.” On hearing this, Kharanakhara started to get worried.

Not wanting to take a chance, Kharanakhara blurted out, “Hello, jackal. It’s all right for you to come in. Please do!” The clever Hasya immediately took to his heels, yelling out, “Silly lion! Since when you have heard caves talk?” The impatient Kharanakhara had to go hungry yet again.

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And that’s why silence is golden and patience is a virtue!

You read more stories like this in Amar Chitra Katha’s ‘The Brahmin and the Goat’, available on the Amar Chitra Katha app as well as Amazon, Flipkart, and other major e-tailers.

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