Once a jackal wished to eat some rice payasam. He went to his friend, the rabbit. “Friend rabbit”, he said,”let us get some milk, rice and jaggery and make payasam.” The rabbit liked the idea. But from where would they get the rice, jaggery and milk?
The jackal was a great planner. He said,”friend rabbit, let us fool a milkman, and take away his can of milk.”
So they lay in wait for a milkman. Soon a milkman appeared in the distance. At once the rabbit lay down in the middle of the road as if he was dead. They milkman saw the rabbit and put down his can of milk.” I shall take this rabbit. My family shall feast on rabbit meat tonight”, he thought. He came close to pick up the animals. But the rabbit slowly rolled farther and farther away from him. The man began following him.
When they had gone some distance, the jackal dashed away with the can of milk. Out of the corner of his eye, the rabbit saw the jackal disappear into the bushes with the milk can. He then got up and ran away. Now, the milkman could not catch him. The poor man now turned around to pick up his can. But he could not find it. He realized that the animals had tricked him and him away, cursing them.
In the same way, the rabbit and the jackal fooled other villagers and got hold of jaggery and rice. Then they lit fire and made the payasam.
When it was ready, a great idea came to the jackal. “Why should I share this yummy payasam with the rabbit?” he thought. ”let me fool the rabbit and eat it all by myself.”
He told the rabbit,” my friend, it is not good to eat anything without praying to god. So let us both bathe at home and then pray before we eat.” He planned to bathe at home and then pray before we eat.”
He planned to bathe quickly, and return before the rabbit, and gobble up the payasam.
The rabbit agreed and left the place. The jackal too, made his way home.
Now as the rabbit went past the bushes on his way home, he had a sudden doubt. ”I’ve never seen this jackal bathing or praying to god. Why is he doing it now?” he asked himself. The rabbit was not a fool. He realized.
That this was a plan to get rid of him and eat the payasam. Ah, but he could not be fooled so easily. He dashed back to the spot immediately and opened the pot.
The payasam smelt wonderful. The rabbit did not waste another second. He lapped it all up and licked the pot clean. Then he quickly filled it with mud and ran away. Soon the jackal came there. Not finding the rabbit, he opened the pot. And what did he find? Mud, not payasam! He now realized that the tables had been turned on him. The rabbit had tricked him.
