The Hare Who Thought the World Had Come to an End

Once upon a time there was near the Western Ocean a grove of palm and vilva trees. A certain Hare lived here beneath a palm sapling, at the foot of a vilva tree. One day this Hare after feeding came and lay down beneath a young palm tree, and the thought struck him: “If this earth should be destroyed, what would become of me?” At this very moment a ripe vilva fruit fell on a palm leaf. At the sound of it the Hare suddenly thought, “This solid earth is collapsing,” and starting up he fled without so much as looking behind him. Another Hare saw him scampering off as if frightened to death, and asked the cause of his sudden flight. “Pray don’t ask me,” he said. The second Hare, followed, crying, “Pray, sir, what is it?” and kept running after him. Then the Hare stopped a moment and, without looking back, he said, “The earth here is breaking up.” And at this the second Hare ran after the first. And then first one and then another Hare caught sight of him running and joined in the chase, till one hundred thousand Hares all took their flight together. They were seen by a Deer, a Boar, an Elk, a Buffalo, a Wild Ox, a Rhinoceros, a Tiger, a Lion and an Elephant. And when they asked what it meant and were told that the earth was breaking up, they too took to flight. By degrees this host of animals was a league long. A wise Brahmin who saw this headlong flight of animals, and was told that the cause of it was that the earth was coming to an end, thought: “The earth is nowhere coming to an end. Surely it must be some sound which was misunderstood by them. If I don’t make a great effort they will all perish. I will save their lives.” With the speed of a lion he got before them to the foot of a mountain, and roared three times like a lion. They were terribly frightened and stopped in their flight, standing all huddled together. The Brahmin, in the guise of a Lion, went amongst them and asked why they were running away. “The earth is collapsing,” they answered. “Who saw it collapsing?” he said. “The Elephants know all about it,” they replied. He asked the Elephants, but they didn’t know. They said the Lions knew. But the Lions said, “We don’t know; the Tigers know.” The Tigers said, “The Wild Oxen know.” The Wild Oxen, “The Buffaloes.” The Buffaloes, “The Elks.” The Elks, “The Boars.” The Boars, “The Deer.” The Deer said, “We don’t know; the Hares know.” When the Hares were questioned they pointed to one particular Hare and said, “This one told us.” So the Brahmin went up to him and asked, “Is it true, sir, that the earth is breaking up?” “Yes, sir, I saw it,” said the Hare. “Where,” he asked, “were you living when you saw it?” “Near the ocean, sir, in a grove of palm and vilva trees. As I was lying beneath the shade of a palm sapling at the foot of a vilva tree, I thought, ‘If this earth should break up, where shall I go?’ And at that very moment I heard the sound of the earth breaking up, and I fled.” The Lion thought to himself: “A ripe vilva fruit evidently must have fallen on a palm leaf and made a ‘thud,’ and this Hare jumped to the conclusion that the earth was coming to an end, and ran away. I will find out the exact truth about it.” So he reassured the herd of animals and said: “I will take the Hare and go and find out exactly whether the earth is coming to an end or not, in the place pointed out by him. Until I return do you stay here.” Then, placing the Hare on his back, he sprang forward with the speed of a lion, and putting the Hare down in a palm grove, he said, “Come, show us the place you meant.” “I dare not, my lord,” said the Hare. “Come, don’t be afraid,” said the Lion. The Hare, not daring to go near the vilva tree, stood afar off and cried, “Yonder, sir, is the place of dreadful sounds.” The Lion went to the foot of the vilva tree, and saw the spot where the Hare had been lying beneath the shade of the palm tree, and the ripe vilva fruit that fell on the palm leaf, and having ascertained that the earth had not broken up, he placed the Hare on his back and with the speed of a lion soon came again to the herd of beasts. He told them the whole story, and having thus reassured the herd of beasts he let them go.