Hunter and the golden swan

In Thailand, in the ancient past in a remote village there was a forest. In the middle of the forest there was a beautiful lake. From time to time a flock of golden swans used to come to the lake and pass time. As only a few villagers lived in the lakeside, nobody took any special interest about the swans.

At noon, the villagers saw the swans gathered in the sky and swoop down to the clear blue waters of the lake. They loved to sightsee and believed that it brings good fortune to all of them. The swans who were fearless to the villagers lived in a peaceful mood.

In the evening the swans would fly back to the sky. But the villagers never knew from where they came and where they were headed back. One day there appeared a certain wise man who knew something about the swans.

"These swans are not just ordinary birds. But they are spirits," he said.

"What more can you say about them?" Inquired another villager.

Then said the wise man, "About hundred years ago, a city stood on the mountain called Green Mountain. That mountain lies beyond the forest. A great fire burned the entire city down, and all the people who lived there were killed. God Indra, the God of Gods, who loved the city felt extremely sad. This God did not have any powers to bring back the lives of humans who lived there. But he had powers to turn their spirits into a flock of swans. So he transformed the dead humans into a flock of golden swans. Further he wanted them to visit the lake they loved most which stood by the side of the forest. The flock of golden swans believed the lake as their former homeland. As such they came there to stay day and go back. But I too have an unsolved mystery."

"What is that?"

"I cannot tell you where they go back."

All these villagers who listened to the wise man stood silent. The wise man had nothing more to say. But the few villagers took pride in what the wise man said. They determined never to harm the swans. Several years passed peacefully. Then there came a certain hunter from a remote place. When he reached the lake, he saw the swans enjoying there.

"I think I can catch these swans," thought the hunter. As he was thinking thus the swans rose from the lake as dusk was gathering and disappeared into the sky.

"Perhaps they will come back tomorrow, and then I will have the chance of catching them."

So the hunter lay down beside the lake for the night. He was sleepless. Then in the morning the swans descended from the sky. As usual the swans had no fear for the villagers. Thinking that the hunter is yet another goodhearted villager, the swans came one by one towards him. The hunter was surprised. When he saw them in all their dazzling beauty, he desired to catch hold of one. He did not want to hurt any swan, but he was willing to own one alive and keep it with him.

As the swans swam in the water and when one by one was coming towards him, the hunter tossed a noose made out of a rope, around the neck of one of the swans. The golden pen who got caught in the trap of the hunter struggled to get rid of it. But it was a miserable struggle.

The pen could not escape. The rest of the swans who saw this plight of their member in the flock cried in vain. They had nothing to do but to fly away to the sky. The innocent pen who got caught in the hunter's noose gazed at the others sorrowfully. The hunter went on stroking the golden feathers of the pen captured by him. The pen stopped his struggle and died slowly.

Villagers came to know this tragedy. They immediately rushed in there. When questioned, the hunter just said, "I did not want to kill her. I wanted to feel her beauty besides me. Please don't misunderstand me."

The villagers were calm but angry over what had happened. They all said, "These swans were like our own kith and kin. They never harmed us and we never harmed them either. It was a pleasant sight to see them come and go. We can never pardon you for the offence. You have caught one of them, and that pleasant creature died. Other swans will never come again to the lake. So we miss a great big fortune. You are responsible for this action."

The villagers carried the carcass to the temple and buried her in the yard.

"Perhaps the swans will return tomorrow," said the hunter in a mellow tone.

"We see that you are feeling sorry," the monk said, "But yet you have created a big offence by catching the pen. So you got to repay for that offence."

The mystery of the swans too was gradually revealed to the hunter. At this the hunter too was grieved. It was clear to all the villagers that the flock of swan will not return to the lake any more. Time passed and they never saw any swan. The hunter too felt sorry.

"How can I repay?"

The hunter thought, giving up all his activities in the forest.

"I don't think you can bring back the swans," the monk said.

"But you can find a way to help the villagers remember this beauty they enjoyed."

The hunter was pondering over what he should do. For many days the hunter was wandering in the forest.

"I can remember her fine feathers. She was such a beautiful creature," He thought.

"The best possible thing is I can erect a statue of the swan." He decided in the end. From his childhood he had one thing gradually cultivated. That was a skill in erecting statue. He set to work on the statue by the side of the lake.

"This is going to help the villagers remember the beauty of the swan," he thought. He worked patiently on the swan statue for months and months. Most villagers came to see him work. But he kept on silently working on the statue. The priest too came to know this.

He asked the villagers to forgive the hunter and forget what he did in the past. The villagers agreed to pardon the hunter who by now had shown his skill as a statue maker. Finally the swan statue came to be seen as a noble monument by the side of the lake. The swan statue still stands there. People from various parts of the country come not just to see the swan statue but also to venerate it. They realized that someone who sinned became quite pious later on.