Many years ago, in a dense forest, there lived a clever and wise cat. Her name was Neel.
Everyone in the forest respected her and called her “Aunt.”
Many wild animals would go to her for learning. Some learned survival skills, some learned self-defense, and some went for personal advice.
One day, a young lion appeared in front of Aunt Cat. He said,
“Aunt Cat, I want to be your student. Please teach me everything you know so that I can survive safely in the jungle.”
Aunt Cat thought for a moment and said,
“Alright, come from tomorrow morning, I will teach you what I know.”
From the next day, the lion started coming every morning. Aunt Cat taught him everything she could — the rules of the jungle, hunting skills, self-defense, moving silently, and even how to escape when in danger.
A month passed like this.
One day, Aunt Cat said,
“You have learned everything now. From tomorrow, you don’t need to come. My teachings will help you in life.”
The lion was a little surprised and asked,
“Do you really think I’ve learned everything?”
Aunt Cat smiled and said, “Yes, I have taught you everything I know.”
Hearing this, the lion suddenly roared and said,
“Then let me test today what I have learned — on you!”
Aunt Cat was shocked and said,
“Have you gone mad? I am your teacher, I taught you, and now you want to attack me?”
But the lion didn’t listen. He charged at Aunt Cat. She ran with all her might, and having no other way, jumped up onto a tall tree.
Standing below, the lion shouted in anger,
“You didn’t teach me how to climb trees! You didn’t give me full knowledge!”
Sitting on the tree branch, Aunt Cat calmly said,
“It’s true I didn’t teach you how to climb trees, because from the very first day I understood — you will never become a true student. You are a self-centered, selfish creature. I always feared that one day you would turn against me — so I kept just one trick hidden from you to save my own life.”
Aunt Cat’s voice now became firm, “A student who cannot respect their teacher — for them, knowledge becomes dangerous. Go away from here, and never show your face to me again.”
The lion was shocked, fuming in rage, but he couldn’t do anything. The cat was on the tree, and he was on the ground.
In the end, he roared in frustration and left.
Lesson from this story:
One should never blindly trust anyone in life.
One must understand whom to teach and how much.
And a true student never harms their teacher.
Caution is the first sign of wisdom.