On the banks of the Bhagirathi there was a fig tree. In the hollow of the tree lived an old and feeble vulture. He was blind and had lost his talons too, so he couldn’t hunt. The birds that nested on the tree usually gave him some food. One day when the birds had gone to search for food, a cunning cat that had been watching them came to the vulture. “Sir, I am a cat living on the banks of this holy river,” said the cat. The vulture threatened him and asked him to go away because he was afraid the cat would attack the helpless nestlings. But the clever cat said, “I have given up eating all meat and bathe and worship every day. I have come to you to learn law as you are so wise.” The old vulture refused. The cat, however, was very persuasive.
The Vulture, the Cat and the Birds
