In a certain forest there once lived a lion named Madonmatta, the Arrogant. This lion was forever slaughtering animals. One day the animals came together and humbly made this request of the king of beasts: “Your Majesty, what purpose does this senseless and indiscriminate slaughter serve, an act that is brutal and contrary to your welfare in the next world? It will lead to our utter annihilation, and you yourself will be left without food, a calamity for both you and us. So, if it pleases you, we will ourselves send Your Lordship every day one wild animal for your food, an animal selected in turn from each species.” The lion replied: “You may do that.”

From then on the lion lived eating the one animal sent to him each day. Now, one day, following the order of the species, it was the turn of a hare. When he was sent off by all the animals, the hare thought to himself: “I am entering the jaws of death! This will be the end of me! What is the appropriate thing for me to do now? After all, is there anything impossible for the wise? I will kill this lion by my cunning.” The hare then proceeded very slowly, arriving well past mealtime. The lion, who was starving and filled with rage, said menacingly to the hare: “When someone is very angry, he won’t stop short of killing! And you are now as good as dead. Tell me, why are you late?”

The hare then bowed down and told him with reverence: “My Lord, it is not my fault. As I was coming, another lion stopped me on the road and tried to eat me. I told him: ‘I am on my way to my lord, the lion Madonmatta, to be his meal.’ This lion then said: ‘That Madonmatta is a rogue. Summon him and come back quickly. We will do battle to decide who will be the king, and whoever is king will eat all these animals.’ So, I have come to inform my lord of this.” When he had heard this, the lion said angrily: “How can there be another lion in this forest protected by my arm? Take me there quickly and show me the rascal.” The hare replied: “If that is your wish, My Lord, please come. I will show him to you.”

The hare took the lion and showed him a deep well filled with clear water, saying: “See, he is in there.” The lion, fool that he was, seeing his reflection in the water, thought: “This must be my rival.” He was extremely angry and he let out a roar. Thereupon, the same roar, made twice as loud by the echo, came back out of the well. Hearing this, the lion thought: “This fellow is very powerful!” He then threw himself at his rival and perished. The hare, for his part, became elated and made all the animals happy. Thereafter, he lived happily in that forest, praised by all the animals.

From The Pancatantra: The Book of India’s Folk Wisdom, Translated by Patrick Olivelle, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997, pp. 30-31.