A story for children: BOOTHNAG THE COBRA Vs PAKSHIRAJ THE GARUDA

Once upon a time, there existed a beautiful forest in northeast India called Yakshavan. It was ruled by a majestic lion named Bindusara. His rule was so good that all the animals of the forest lived in peace.

Everything was going good until one full moon night. A rabbit came running to where an old fox, a retired teacher, was telling stories to a crowd of ducklings on the banks of Lake Lalpani.

“Uncle Fox! Uncle Fox! There is a huge cobra heading towards us from the other side of the mountain. It is so big that it can pick up an elephant in its mouth like a mouse. Let us evacuate at once. Otherwise, we will all be finished.”

Before the rabbit finished saying this, the full moon disappeared overhead. What appeared in its place were two red globes of fire and a white V mark. “It’s the hood! Run, everybody!” yelled the rabbit and took to his heels.

The animals ran straight to the residence of the King Bindusara. “Oh king, protect us; a monster-cobra is here to destroy us!” they screamed as they gate-crashed into the cave of Bindusara.

Bindusara was speaking to his minister, Gajraj the elephant. Hearing the commotion, he asked Gajraj, “What’s all this hullabaloo about?” When he heard the frightened rabbit out, he took the whole thing very lightly.

“Gajraj, go and see what all this is about. Drag that impudent cobra to my presence!” he commanded his minister. Gajraj was no doubt a huge elephant, but the cobra he had to face was not a rope.

“Come on, take me to this cobra. I will make jam of him under my foot!” he declared proudly. But he did not have to walk far. Suddenly, he found himself lifted off the ground.

“What is happening? What is happening!” he screamed in fear, kicking all his four legs in the air. The rabbit looked up and what he saw made his heart freeze. Have you ever seen an elephant dangling from the mouth of a cobra?

One moment Gajraj was there, the next moment he disappeared down the throat of the cobra. The rabbit turned and ran for his life when he was caught by the tail of the cobra. Dangling the rabbit in front of his eyes by his tail, the cobra said,

“Go tell your cat of a lion, Bindusara, that I, Boothnag, have come to this forest to rule. I need a meal of one elephant, one dozen deer, and two dozen rabbits like you every day. Either he should supply voluntarily or I will hunt by myself.” Saying that, Boothnag flung the rabbit in the air so that it landed on the grass that grew in front of the cave residence of Bindusara.

When he heard what Boothnag told him, Bindusara was shaken. He concealed his fear and came out to see for himself what the cobra really looked like. When he actually saw the cobra, his stomach curdled. Still, he did not want to behave like a cat in front of his subjects. So he roared vainly, “Hey, look! I give you an hour to leave my domain. If you fail to do so, I will have to skin you alive!”

On hearing this, Boothnag the cobra burst into laughter. “You perky kitten!” he said and caught the lion Bindusara with his tail and held him dangling upside-down in front of his hood. Bindusara’s heart came to his mouth.

“I can gobble you up like a baby mouse, but I hate your mane which will cause indigestion. I tell you again: provide me what I want or face complete destruction!” Saying that, Boothnag dropped the lion to the ground.

Poor Bindusara realized that there was no alternative to submitting to Boothnag. A meal was chosen, consisting of an elephant, three deer, and a dozen rabbits, and driven to the presence of the cobra. Bindusara felt ashamed when Boothnag swallowed them alive.

That night he could not sleep. By his side lay his cub, thinking. Suddenly, he jumped from the bed and shouted, “Papa, I found the solution to this Nag menace. Look, Papa, if there is a huge cobra, there should be a much larger Garuda (Eagle) somewhere. Some time ago, I heard from our fox uncle about a bird island where a giant garuda lives. Let us approach him. Let me go myself!”

“Impossible! You are too small,” said Bindusara. “Then let us send an S.O.S. message to him through Pinky the pigeon.”

Pinky felt honored for being chosen to do something very important for the king. A message begging the Pakshiraja Garuda to intervene was tied to her feet. “Fly as fast as you can!” Bindusara told her.

Pinky had never flown that fast in her life. In twenty-four hours, she reached the bird island. She went straight to the court and demanded to see Pakshiraja. Pakshiraja saw the message and agreed to start for Yakshavan right away. “This cobra, Boothnag, is not a land creature. He belongs to the oceans. I will show him his place,” said Pakshiraja as he took off from the island.

On the way, Pinky, clinging to Pakshiraja’s neck, said, “Pakshiraja, this cobra is very, very big. You have to be very careful in dealing with him.”

“Don’t worry Pinky. I will pick him up like a rope and throw him into the ocean,” assured Pakshiraja.

In the meantime, in Yakshavan, Boothnag woke up at eight in the morning. He felt his stomach rumbling. “Where is my meal? Where is my meal?” he screamed.

When the boom of his voice reached the cave, Bindusara shuddered. He ordered his bodyguard to arrange a meal for the accursed cobra. “Go and get some zebras, some deer, and some rabbits and take them to this devil, otherwise he will eat us all up,” he said.

It was very hard for the tiger, the bodyguard, to push trembling zebras before Boothnag. Boothnag lowered his hood, picked up two zebras at a time, and was about to swallow them when the sky darkened. There followed a gale.

Pakshiraj Garuda appeared. He became ten times bigger than what he appeared as on his island. In one sweep, he snatched Boothnag from the earth with his talons and gave a thundering peck on the back of the impudent cobra’s head. Boothnag spat out the zebras he was holding in his mouth.

Pakshiraj rose high into the sky and flew towards the ocean, carrying the huge cobra effortlessly. When he dropped Boothnag in the ocean, he warned, “One more time I see you on land, I will kill you.”

The next day, Pakshiraj came to Yakshavan to receive the gratitude of Bindusara and his subjects.