खरगोश की चतुराई

kharagosh ki chaturaee panchatantr ki prasiddh kahaniyoan mean se ek hai jisake rachayita achary vishnu sharma haian.

kahani

          kisi ghane van mean ek bahut b da sher rahata tha. vah roj shikar par nikalata aur ek hi nahian, do nahian kee-kee janavaroan ka kam tamam deta. jangal ke janavar darane lage ki agar sher isi tarah shikar karata raha to ek din aisa ayega ki jangal mean koee bhi janavar nahian bachega.
sare jangal mean sanasani phail gee. sher ko rokane ke liye koee n koee upay karana zaroori tha. ek din jangal ke sare janavar ikattha hue aur is prashn par vichar karane lage. ant mean unhoanne tay kiya ki ve sab sher ke pas jakar unase is bare mean bat karean. doosare din janavaroan ke ek dal sher ke pas pahuancha. unake apani or ate dekh sher ghabara gaya aur usane garajakar poochha, ‘‘kya bat hai ? tum sab yahaan kyoan a rahe ho ?’’
janavar dal ke neta ne kaha, ‘‘maharaj, ham apake pas nivedan karane aye haian. ap raja haian aur ham apaki praja. jab ap shikar karane nikalate haian to bahut janavar mar dalate haian. ap sabako kha bhi nahian pate. is tarah se hamari sankhya kam hoti ja rahi hai. agar aisa hi hota raha to kuchh hi dinoan mean jangal mean apake sivay aur koee bhi nahian bachega. praja ke bina raja bhi kaise rah sakata hai ? yadi ham sabhi mar jayeange to ap bhi raja nahian raheange. ham chahate haian ki ap sada hamare raja bane rahean. apase hamari vinati hai ki ap apane ghar par hi raha karean. har roj svayan apake khane ke lie ek janavar bhej diya kareange. is tarah se raja aur praja dono hi chain se rah sakeange.’’ sher ko laga ki janavaroan ki bat mean sachchaee hai. usane palabhar socha, phir bola achchhi bat hai. maian tumhare sujhav ko man leta hooan. lekin yad rakhana, agar kisi bhi din tumane mere khane ke liye poora bhojan nahian bheja to maian jitane janavar chahooanga, mar dalooanga.’’ janavaroan ke pas to aur koee chara nahian. isaliye unhoanne sher ki shart man li aur apane-apane ghar chale gaye.
us din se har roj sher ke khane ke liye ek janavar bheja jane laga. isake liye jangal mean rahane vale sab janavaroan mean se ek-ek janavar, bari-bari se chuna jata tha. kuchh din bad kharagoshoan ki bari bhi a gee. sher ke bhojan ke liye ek nanhean se kharagosh ko chuna gaya. vah kharagosh jitana chhota tha, utana hi chatur bhi tha. usane socha, bekar mean sher ke hathoan marana moorkhata hai. apani jan bachane ka koee n koee upay avashy karana chahiye, aur ho sake to koee aisi tarakib dhooandhani chahiye jise sabhi ko is musibat se sada ke lie chhutakara mil jaye. akhir usane ek tarakib soch hi nikali.
kharagosh dhire-dhire aram se sher ke ghar ki or chal p da. jab vah sher ke pas pahuancha to bahut der ho chuki thi.
bhookh ke mare sher ka bura hal ho raha tha. jab usane sirph ek chhote se kharagosh ko apani or ate dekha to gusse se baukhala utha aur garajakar bola, ‘‘kisane tumhean bheja hai ? ek to piddi jaise ho, doosare itani der se a rahe ho. jin bevakoophoan ne tumhean bheja hai maian un sabako thik karooanga. ek-ek ka kam tamam n kiya to mera nam bhi sher nahian.’’
nanhe kharagosh ne adar se zamin tak jhukakar, ‘‘maharaj, agar ap kripa karake meri bat sun lean to mujhe ya aur janavaroan ko dosh nahian deange. ve to janate the ki ek chhota sa kharagosh apake bhojan ke lie poora nahian p dega, ‘isalie unhoanne chhah kharagosh bheje the. lekin raste mean hamean ek aur sher mil gaya. usane paanch kharagoshoan ko marakar kha liya.’’
yah sunate hi sher daha dakar bola, ‘‘kya kaha ? doosara sher ? kaun hai vah ? tumane use kahaan dekha ?’’
‘‘maharaj, vah to bahut hi b da sher hai’’, kharagosh ne kaha, ‘‘vah zamin ke andar bani ek b di gupha mean se nikala tha. vah to mujhe hi marane ja raha tha. par maianne usase kaha, ‘sarakar, apako pata nahian ki apane kya andher kar diya hai. ham sab apane maharaj ke bhojan ke liye ja rahe the, lekin apane unaka sara khana kha liya hai. hamare maharaj aisi batean sahan nahian kareange. ve zaroor hi yahaan akar apako mar daleange.’
‘‘is par usane poochha, ‘kaun hai tumhara raja ?’ maianne javab diya, ‘hamara raja jangal ka sabase b da sher hai.’
‘‘maharaj, ‘mere aisa kahate hi vah gusse se lal-pila hokar bola bevakooph is jangal ka raja sirph maian hooan. yahaan sab janavar meri praja haian. maian unake sath jaisa chahooan vaisa kar sakata hooan. jis moorkh ko tum apana raja kahate ho us chor ko mere samane hajir karo. maian use bataooanga ki asali raja kaun hai.’ maharaj itana kahakar us sher ne apako livane ke lie mujhe yahaan bhej diya.’’
kharagosh ki bat sunakar sher ko b da gussa aya aur vah bar-bar garajane laga. usaki bhayanak garaj se sara jangal dahalane laga. ‘‘mujhe phauran us moorkh ka pata batao’’, sher ne daha dakar kaha, ‘‘jab tak maian use jan se n mar dooanga mujhe chain nahian milega.’’ ‘‘bahut achchha maharaj,’’ kharagosh ne kaha ‘‘maut hi us dusht ki saza hai. agar maian aur b da aur mazaboot hota to maian khud hi usake tuk de-tuk de kar deta.’’
‘‘chalo, ‘rasta dikhao,’’ sher ne kaha, ‘‘phauran batao kidhar chalana hai ?’’
‘‘idhar aiye maharaj, idhar, ‘‘kharagosh rasta dikhate hua sher ko ek kuean ke pas le gaya aur bola, ‘‘maharaj, vah dusht sher zamin ke niche kile mean rahata hai. jara savadhan rahiyega. kile mean chhupa dushman khataranak hota hai.’’
‘‘maian usase nipat looanga,’’ sher ne kaha, ‘‘tum yah batao ki vah hai kahaan ?’’
‘‘pahale jab maianne use dekha tha tab to vah yahian bahar kh da tha. lagata hai apako ata dekhakar vah kile mean ghus gaya. aiye maian apako dikhata hooan.’’
kharagosh ne kuean ke najadik akar sher se andar jhaankane ke liye kaha. sher ne kuean ke andar jhaanka to use kuean ke pani mean apani parachhaeean dikhaee di.
parachhaeean ko dekhakar sher zor se daha da. kuean ke andar se ati huee apane hi daha dane ki gooanj sunakar usane samajha ki doosara sher bhi daha d raha hai. dushman ko turant mar dalane ke irade se vah phauran kuean mean kood p da.
koodate hi pahale to vah kuean ki divar se takaraya phir dh dam se pani mean gira aur doobakar mar gaya. is tarah chaturaee se sher se chhutti pakar nanha kharagosh ghar lauta. usane jangal ke janavaroan ko sher ke mare jane ki kahani sunaee. dushman ke mare jane ki khabar se sare jangal mean khushi phail gee. jangal ke sabhi janavar kharagosh ki jay-jayakar karane lage.