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The Woodcutter and a Tiger

Published : Saturday, 26 October, 2024 at 12:00 AM  Count : 3773
Dilruba Nila
There was a woodcutter in a village. His name was Gopal. He used to go to the forest to cut dry wood and sell it to support his family. He had three sons and his wife. On the days when the woodcutter could not cut wood, he had to go without food with the babies.

One day, the woodcutter was walking and entered a forest far away. The name of the forest was Mayaban. He wandered here and there but could not find even a single piece of dry wood anywhere. He thought to himself, "Let's cut the raw branches of the tree. They can be dried in the sun and sold."

Without thinking, he took his axe and hit the branch of a tree, and a tiger jumped in front of him. Frightened, the woodcutter jumped and sat on the tree. The tiger roared, "Who has come to cut wood in our Mayaban?"

The woodcutter said, "I am a poor woodcutter. We run the family by cutting wood."

The tiger said in a serious voice, "It is good to cut wood and run a family. But living tree branches? That is too much in Mayaban. Do you not know the rules of Mayaban?"

"No, sir. I don't know."

"So come down, ride on my back, and let me show you around Mayaban."

"I will ride on your back!" fear was in Gopal's voice.

"Yes, sit on my back, but don't worry; I won't eat you. Nobody eats anybody in this forest. This is the rule of the forest."

The woodcutter was afraid but got down from the tree and sat on the tiger's back. The tiger started walking through the middle of the forest with the woodcutter on his back.

Seeing the forest, the woodcutter's mind was filled with happiness. There were many flowers blooming inside the forest. Ripe fruits hung from the trees and plants, even under the trees. Some distance away, elephants, rabbits, deer, and monkeys were playing together.

The tiger introduced the woodcutter to an elephant. "Dear nephew, he is the king of Mayaban. According to his strict law, no animal in the forest can harm any animal or bird. Not even trees."

The woodcutter was surprised to hear this from the tiger. "I have heard all my life that the king of the forest is a lion or a tiger. It is unbelievable that an elephant can be king."

"What do you eat when you feel hungry? Deer or rabbit for sure?"

"No, dear nephew, not at all. Animal hunting is prohibited in this forest by the command of our great king, the elephant."
"So what do you eat when you feel hungry?"

"We eat fruits. Our doctor is a jackal. Beyond the ten forests, there is a forest called the Doctor's Forest. From there, he came with medical knowledge. He is the one who told us the benefits of eating fruits."

"We animals all live by eating fruits and green vegetables. That is why everyone in this forest is healthy, and we all have good eyesight and alert ears. Or would you hear the sound of cutting trees?"
"No."

A little further, he met a deer. The deer looked at the tiger with its magical eyes. "How are you, tiger mama? Who are you carrying on your back? Where are you going?"

"This is my nephew; we are visiting Mayaban. I am showing him around the forest."

The tiger's words were so compassionate that tears came to the woodcutter's eyes. In such a short time, the tiger had adopted him. And his own uncle, whose name was Haradhan, had left him for a little land. Oh, how much better it would have been if he had been a deer instead of a human!

Gopal's sigh escaped from his chest.

"Hey nephew, why are you sighing? Don't worry, please! I will arrange your dry wood. You will not have any regrets about having this tiger uncle."

"Oh, what illusion! What magic!" Gopal's eyes grew wet hearing the tiger.

The tiger took Gopal to the southern corner of the forest. He saw a huge tree lying there.

"Take wood, nephew; take as much wood as you can. This tree was broken in the storm that day. It has dried up in the sun."
The woodcutter got down from the tiger's back and started cutting wood with great joy. After some time, the woodcutter said, "Now I go, tiger uncle?"

"Yes, of course. And every day, you will come to this forest. I will show you where there is dry wood in the forest. Never cut a living tree again. Plants give oxygen to animals. Can we live without oxygen?"

Hearing the tiger's words, Gopal bowed his head, feeling ashamed. How stupid he was; it made his head spin.
"Don't be shy, dear. To err is human."

"Uncle, then I go?"

After hearing the call of "uncle" from Gopal, the tiger was also very emotional; this was the first time he heard the call of "uncle" from a human.

"Okay, dear, you may go and will come again."

"Mayaban is yours from today."

Gopal went back to his village.

He had many responsibilities. People should be prohibited from cutting trees. Trees are essential for survival.



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