The Tale of Two Kings

Today is one of the happiest days in history for the inhabitants of the Lake Kingdom of Northern India. A conversation between two fish reveals why.

"Did you hear the big news?" one Fish said to the other. "The Crane who had been terrorizing our lake for years is dead! He was killed by a Crab who outwitted him!"

"No way," said the other Fish. "I have to tell every creature I know!"

So the Fish went out and told everyone the good news of the death of the cunning Crane. He first told the Turtle. The Turtle passed along the news to the Otter, and the Otter shared with the Frog. In a matter of hours, every living creature in the lake knew about the heroic Crab.

The Frog suggested to all of the other animals that the Crab should become king of the lake. He found the Crab and said, "All the animals of the Lake Kingdom want to elect you as our ruler. Would you like to be the new king?"

The Crab said, "Yes! What an incredible honor! You can call me by my name, Asatyavadin by the way. This is the name given to me by my uncle when I was a teenager. "

Asatyavadin knew that becoming king was an opportunity to take advantage of all the lake creatures. He was full of deceit. After all, that is how he was able to trick the Crane.

Asatyavadin then came up with a scheme to gain favor with the lake animals. He outlawed all predation from birds, and as a result, all of the animals loved him.

As soon as Asatyavadin built up trust and power, he started to tax the lake creatures. He announced, " Ten percent of all of your collected food must be given to me." King Asatyavadin no longer had to search for food like all the other animals. All of his meals were brought to him. He became massive, muscular, and powerful.

The Frog, knowing he made a mistake, went out to look for animals that could defeat the Crab king. He came across a Monkey named Brahmadatta. Brahmadatta was king of Benares. The Frog told Brahmadatta all about their abusive new ruler and asked him, "Will you please save us from Aatyavadin, the Crab king?"

Brahmadatta agreed to help.

Brahmadatta came to the lake and said to the King Asatyavadin , "Wow! What an awesome kingdom you have built up. Have you heard of the nearby city called Benares? It does not have a king yet!"

The power-hungry Crab said "Show me this place and I will become king of this lake and Benares!" When saying this, Asatyavadin had no clue that Brahmadatta was actually the king of Benares.

Brahmadatta and Asatyavadin went to Benares. The mate of a Crocodile in Benares saw the big Crab and said to her husband, "I want to eat his heart."

The Crocodile said to his wife, "I will go get it for you."

The Crocodile was very determined to bring back the Crab's heart to his wife because he had failed to bring her the hearts of the last ten animals she asked for.

King Asatyavadin did not know about the Crocodiles in Benares and started to explore what he thought was his new kingdom. Of course, this was Brahmadatta's plan all along. Brahmadatta knew his kingdom and those who lived there like the back of his hand, so he knew that the Crocodile would be looking for a new heart to take.

The Crocodile attacked and killed the wicked Crab. Then he brought the Crab's heart to his wife.

Brahmadatta went back to the lake and said, "The Crab king , Asatyavadin, is dead!" All of the lake animals celebrated and lived in peace in the lake for the rest of their years.

When one is deceitful, mean, and cruel, they eventually get what they deserve.

Author's Note

To start my story, I used plot elements from "The Foolish, Timid Rabbit." In that story, a rabbit tells everyone he knows that the world is breaking up after a coconut falls from a nearby tree. Soon, the animals were in a panic because they believed the rumor In my story, I let the news of the Crane's death sweep through the lake quickly like the news of the world breaking up did in the "The Foolish, Timid Rabbit."

The animals in both stories quickly regretted spreading the news as it led to embarrassment or the crowning of a cruel king. I also really enjoyed the theme of the "Cunning Crane and the Crab." In this story the Crane told a group of fish who were trapped in a hot pool that he would take them to the nearby lake. Instead the Crane ate the fish. The Crab was also in the pool and asked the Crane to take him to the lake too. To make sure the Crane did not eat him, he held onto the Crane's neck with his pincers. When the Crane flew over the lake, the Crab tightened his grip and killed the Crane. This theme of Karma was defined in one of the last sentences which stated, "People who try to deceive others often pay for it themselves."

I wanted to include this theme while adding characters like Brahmadatta and the Crocodiles from "The Crocodile and the Monkey's Heart." I was saddened for the Crocodile at the end of that story. He was devastated that he could not bring his wife the heart she wanted. I wanted the Crocodile couple to finally have some satisfaction, so that is how I ended the story.

The name Asatyavadin means liar in Sanskrit.

Bibliography

"The Foolish, Timid Rabbit" from Jataka Tales by Ellen C. Babbitt. Web Source

"The Cunning Crab and the Crane" from The Giant Crab, and Other Tales from Old India by W. H. D. Rouse. Web Source

"The Crocodile and the Monkey's Heart" from Eastern Stories and Legends by Marie L. Shedlock. Web Source