The Lion Makers

Long ago, in a small village, lived four friends. Three of them were very learned scholars. They had read every book in the library and knew magic spells, science, and history. However, they lacked one thing: common sense.

The fourth friend, named Subuddhi, was not very good at books. He hadn’t studied magic or science, but he had a lot of common sense. The other three often teased him, saying, “You are a nice friend, Subuddhi, but you are not smart like us!”

One day, the four friends decided to travel to the King’s court to show off their knowledge and earn some money.

As they walked through a dense forest, they came across a pile of bleached white bones lying on the ground.

“Aha!” said the first scholar. “Here is a chance to test our skills. These are the bones of a Lion. I know a spell to assemble them into a skeleton.”

He chanted a mantra, and Click! Clack! The bones joined together to form the perfect skeleton of a lion.

The second scholar stepped forward. “That is good,” he said arrogantly. “But I can give it skin, flesh, and muscle.”

He chanted his mantra, and Whoosh! The skeleton was covered in muscles and fur. A lifeless, sleeping lion now lay before them.

The third scholar beamed. “I can do the greatest thing of all. I can breathe life into this animal!”

He began to chant.

“Stop!” shouted Subuddhi, the fourth friend. “Don’t do that! That is a lion! If you bring him to life, he will attack us!”

The scholars laughed. “You silly man,” said the third scholar. “We are proving our brilliance. Why would I stop now just because you are scared?”

“Please,” begged Subuddhi. “If you must do it, wait a moment.”

Subuddhi ran to the nearest tall tree and climbed all the way to the top branch.

The third scholar shook his head. “Coward,” he muttered. He finished his spell.

ROAR!

The lion opened its glowing yellow eyes, stretched its massive claws, and let out a roar that shook the forest. It was hungry! Seeing the three men standing right in front of it, the lion pounced. The scholars, for all their book knowledge, didn’t know how to fight a lion. They turned and ran as fast as they could, with the lion chasing them deep into the jungle. They were lucky to escape with their lives, terrified and out of breath.

Subuddhi watched from the safety of the tree until the lion was far gone. He climbed down slowly and walked home, safe and sound.

He realized that all the magic in the world is useless if you don’t have the common sense to use it wisely.

Moral of the Story: Common sense is often superior to book knowledge.