The Hunter and the Pigeons

In a vast forest, a large flock of pigeons lived on a massive banyan tree. Their king was an exceptionally wise and experienced pigeon named Chitragriva. One day, while the pigeons were flying in the sky in search of food, they spotted grains of white rice scattered on the ground below. Seeing the rice, the pigeons were delighted and, driven by hunger, prepared to land. However, King Chitragriva grew suspicious. He warned them, 'How did so much rice appear in this lonely forest? This could be a trap. We should not go down.' But the younger pigeons were excited and ignored his warning, landing to peck at the grains. Concerned for his flock, the king followed them down. As soon as they started eating, a large net fell over them. A hunter had hidden nearby after laying the trap. All the pigeons were caught. The hunter approached joyfully to capture them. The pigeons panicked and tried to escape individually, but the net was too strong. Chitragriva remained calm and suggested a plan. He said, 'Do not panic! If we try separately, we will never escape. But if we all put in our strength together and fly up with this net, we can save ourselves.' The pigeons agreed. On the count of three, they all flapped their wings with all their might and soared into the sky, carrying the net with them. The hunter was stunned and chased after them, but the pigeons flew too high. Chitragriva led them to his old friend, a mouse named Hiranyaka. With his sharp teeth, Hiranyaka bit through the net, and all the pigeons were freed. They all thanked Chitragriva and Hiranyaka for their wisdom and help.