One cannot ignore nature and its instincts under any circumstances, for what you think has changed for your sake may not be the case. God, the Exalted and Sublime, created all His creatures with different characteristics and natures, including the tame and the ferocious, and in his dealings with these animals, man should not forget this difference.
Once, in a beautiful village on the outskirts of India, a man named Bahu was accustomed to living alone in his house. He loved animals very much and wanted to keep a pet for himself to keep him company. One day, while walking along the road to the village, he saw a snake with beautiful colors searching for food. Bahu was so impressed with the snake that he decided to keep it as a pet to raise in his house.
Indeed, Bahu took the snake home with him and let it crawl there in complete freedom. He fed it daily and cared for it as if it were his small child. But for the safety of others, Bahu made a cage from bamboo to put the snake in. So whenever he had to leave the house, he would put this snake in the cage. Bahu named the snake Koko, and he was so fond of his pet that all his friends and relatives used to call him “Father of Koko.”
Bahu was a religious man accustomed to following the teachings and advice of the monk. Before long, the monk heard about what Bahu was doing in keeping a snake in his house, so the monk summoned Bahu to speak with him about this matter. Indeed, Bahu went to the monk and asked him the reason for the summons. The monk said to him, “Is this true? Do you really keep a snake in your house and consider it your favorite pet?”
The man answered, “Yes, my teacher, I indeed have a snake and love it like my child.” This monk was wise and knew that this behavior was dangerous, so he advised him, saying, “Dear Bahu, it is not safe to live with a venomous snake. Let it go for your safety.” Bahu heard the monk’s words but could not carry them out, for he was extremely fond of the snake. So he answered, “Little Koko is like my son to me. I know very well that he will not bite me, and I can never give him up.”
Before Bahu left the monk’s house, he warned him again about the danger of living with a venomous snake, but he did not pay attention. Later, Bahu went with his friends to the mountains to do some work and left the snake in the cage for a long time without food. When Bahu and his friends returned after a few days and reached the house, he realized that the snake had not eaten the entire time they were in the mountains.
So he hurried toward the cage and opened it to allow little Koko the snake to come out so he could put food for him. Because the snake had been hungry for a long time, as soon as Bahu’s hand reached out to him, he bit it. Within minutes, this man Bahu died, and Koko escaped to the nature in which God had created him. One should not be foolish by ignoring the natures of creatures, for sometimes we need to understand that the nature of a living being cannot change, and we should act reasonably so as not to disturb the balance or harm the creatures.
The story is translated from: The Monkey’s Advice