Once, a man was bitten by a snake. The wise doctor told the family, “There are two ways of treating the snake-bite. One is by giving him medicine. The second, by capturing the snake who bit him and make it suck out its own poison.” The family wanted to find the snake. So, the doctor caught the snake and asked it to suck out the poison. “I will never do such a thing!” said the snake. The doctor even prepared a wood fire and threatened to burn the snake. But the snake said, “If I suck out my own poison, it would kill me!” Feeling karuna (compassion) for the snake, the doctor used medicine to cure the man. Then, he set the snake free and said, “You must not bite people or hurt them. The bad that you do will all come back to you.” The snake understood and never harmed anyone.
Moral: Strong determination can change hearts.
