The Banyan Deer

A long time ago, the powerful King of Benares absolutely loved to hunt. Every morning, he would ride into the deep forest and hunt deer for his royal kitchen’s grand feasts. The animals lived in constant, shivering terror of his arrows.

To make hunting easier for himself, the King ordered his guards to build a massive wooden fence around a huge herd of deer, trapping them entirely. Now, he wouldn’t have to chase them; he could just select one each day.

One sunny morning, the King’s cook pointed at a young, trembling mother deer who had just given birth to a tiny fawn. “We will take that one today,” the cook declared.

The mother deer fell to her knees and cried. “Please!” she pleaded with the guards. “Let me live just long enough to teach my baby how to walk and find food! If I die now, he will surely starve.”

The noble Banyan Deer, who was the majestic leader of the herd, heard her cries. He stepped gracefully in front of the mother deer. “I am the leader,” he announced with great bravery. “Take my life instead, so that the mother may raise her child.”

The guards were so shocked by this that they brought the Banyan Deer directly to the King. The King frowned down from his throne, deeply confused.

“You are the strong leader of the herd. Why would you willingly offer your own precious life for a weak mother?” the King asked.

“A true leader protects the helpless, Your Majesty,” the Banyan Deer replied softly. “I cannot watch a mother be torn from her child while I have the power to stop it. My life is freely offered.”

The King’s hardened heart completely melted. He realized the horrible pain he had been causing the innocent animals. Tears welled in his eyes. He not only spared the brave Banyan Deer and the mother, but he stood up and declared that no deer would ever be hunted in his kingdom again.

Moral of the Story: Compassion can soften even the strongest, hardest heart. Mercy and love are far more powerful than cruelty and force.