Panchatantra

Lady and Mongoose

There was a lady who gave birth to a baby boy. It was a coincidence that she found a baby mongoose and started raising that as well. The mongoose was very friendly with the baby but the lady always worried that mongoose may harm her child. She seldom left her baby alone. But one day, she had to go somewhere and had to leave her baby all alone in the house.

Fight with Cobra

When the lady was away, the mongoose sat near the baby. It was guarding the baby. Suddenly, a cobra came near the baby. The mongoose fought with the cobra in order to save the baby. Finally, the mongoose was able to kill the cobra.

lady reacting to mongoose

Lady kills Mongoose

When the lady came back, she saw the blood smeared face of the mongoose. She was stunned at seeing that and believed that the mongoose must have killed the baby. In instant reaction, she picked a big stone and killed the mongoose in one blow. After that, she entered her house; only to realize the whole event. She started repenting on hear dastardly act but it was too late.

The moral of the story is, "Before reacting to a situation, one should try to understand it."