(A story from Mahabharata, Shanti parva, chapter 113)
A long time ago, in Krita yuga, there lived a giant camel. The camel remembered the deeds from his previous births and repented for them. Hence, he decided to carry out a long penance. Then in due course of time, Lord Brahma appeared in front of the camel. Pleased by the penance, the creator of this universe asked the giant camel what his wish was. Then, the camel wished he had a neck that could extend even a hundred yojanas to reach food. “So be it,” said the lord.
Thereafter, the camel lived happily grazing fresh leaves, grass, tasty grains, and juicy fruits. All he had to do to munch the food of his choice was to extend his neck. Over time, the camel became lazy. He hardly moved around. He would just extend his neck, grab the food, and bring his neck back.
Once, the giant camel had extended his neck too long to reach his favorite food. Unexpectedly, the weather turned bad. There were strong winds. The camel could not quickly bring his neck back. Soon, he found a cave to shelter his head and long neck. In no time did heavy downpour follow.
A short while after, a jackal couple, drenched in torrential rain, shivering from cold, managed to enter the cave. They were tired and hungry. Seeing the plump camel neck, they thanked the destiny that brought them to the cave. The jackals bit the camel’s neck and ripped the skin apart. The camel tried to shrink his neck quickly. But, the hungry jackals had gripped the camel by the neck, choking him to death. Thus, the lazy camel perished.
Moral: The lazy will perish soon. Keeping one’s mind active and sharp is the key to success.
