Once upon a time there lived a sage. He had many disciples.
One of them was a monk namely, Dake. He had a snake in his room as his dear pet.
Everyday he used to feed her with milk and eggs. Other monks used to warn Dake. Dake never listened to them.
One day, monk Dake was feeding his pet snake. He had named it ‘heaven’. Another monk came to Dake’s room and said,” Dear brother! I am afraid of your snake. Is it very poisonous?”
Dake replied, “Yes it is poisonous. But it will not harm us.”
The other monk said, “I very much doubt it. Brother, why don’t you let it leave to the nearby forest?”
Dake replied, “No. No. No. Heaven is like my son. I can’t live without it.”
The other monk said, “Dear brother, I am going to report to our master.”
Dake replied, “Don’t you worry. Heaven will not bite us. I give milk and egg everyday.”
But the other monk did report to their Head Guru.
Master called Dake and said, “ Dear Dake, It’s good to be compassionate to animals. But it is equally dangerous to keep a poisonous snake in our monastery. It is not safe for you and for others.”
Dake replied,” Dear Master, Heaven is like my son. I feed him regularly. You don’t need to worry about the safety.”
A few days later, Master and other monks went to nearby town for meditation and prayer. Monk Dake also went with his Master. The tour was planned only for a day. But, unexpectedly, continued for a week. All returned to monastery after seven days.
Dake ran to his room and wanted to feed eggs that he brought from the town. The hungry and angry snake bit Dake and he died on the spot.
Everybody mourned his death.
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Learning: Wise to listen to Parents, Teachers and Elders
Author: John B. Parisutham