Story Time: The Mongoose And The Brahmin’s Wife

A brahmin, his wife, and his baby boy lived in a small village. They had a pet mongoose which lived with them. One day, when the brahmin was out on chores, his wife left the baby in the cradle and went to fetch a pot of water. She asked the mongoose to take care of the baby while she is away. As the mongoose guarded the baby, it saw a snake crawling into the house. It soon attacked the snake and killed it.

As soon as the brahmin’s wife entered with the pot of water, the mongoose happily welcomed her with blood all over her mouth. The lady was terrified at the sight and assumed that the mongoose had killed the baby. Furious, the lady dropped the pot of water on the mongoose and beat it to death with a stick. Then she went inside and found the baby happily playing in the cradle.

The lady realized what she had done and repented for acting without thought.

Moral: Do not act in haste without understanding the situation.