This is a popular Ramakrishna story. There was a small village nearby a forest. A terrible poisonous snake lived on a lane going towards the forest. Everyone in the village was scarred of the snake and avoided going in the lane, as it bites anyone going in the lane.
One day, a swamiji (religious guru, monk) was passing through the village and about to enter the lane. The boys on the village ran towards him and said “Revered swamiji, please don’t go that way. A venomous snake lives over there.' 'What of it, my good children?' said the Swamiji. 'I am not afraid of the snake. I am always in the thinking of God and no one can harm me.’ So saying, he continued on his way along the lane. But the boys, being scarred, did not accompany him.
The snake noticed a passing man and moved swiftly toward him with upraised hood. But on seeing the swamiji and his kind look, it could not harm him. The swamiji recited a mantra, and the snake lay at his feet like an earthworm. The swamiji said: 'Look here. Why do you go about doing harm? Come, I will give you a holy word. By repeating it you will learn to love God. Ultimately you will realize Him and so get rid of your violent nature.' Saying this, he taught the snake a holy word and initiated him into spiritual life. The snake bowed before the teacher. The swamiji told the snake ‘Repeat this sacred word', 'and do no harm to anybody.' And then the swamiji moved on.
Some days passed and the boys in the village noticed that the snake would not bite. They threw stones at it. Still it showed no anger; it behaved as if it were an earthworm. One day one of the boys came close to it, caught it by the tail, and, whirling it round and round, dashed it on the ground and threw it away. The snake vomited blood and became unconscious. It could not move. So, thinking it dead, the boys went their way.
The snake regained its consciousness after some time. Slowly and with great difficulty it dragged itself into its hole; its bones were broken and it could scarcely move. Many days passed. The snake became a mere skeleton covered with a skin. Now and then, at night, it would come out in search of food. For fear of the boys it would not leave its hole during the day-time. Since receiving the sacred word from the teacher, it had given up doing harm to others. It maintained its life on dirt, leaves, or the fruit that dropped from the trees.
About a year later the swamiji came that way again and looked for the snake. The boys told him that it was dead. But he couldn't believe them. He knew that the snake would not die before attaining the fruit of the holy word with which it had been initiated. He went to the lane and searching here and there, called it by the name he had given it. Hearing the teacher's voice, it came out of its hole and bowed before him with great reverence. ‘How are you?' asked the swamiji. 'I am well, sir', replied the snake. 'But', the teacher asked, 'why are you so thin?' The snake replied: 'Revered sir, you ordered me not to harm anybody. So I have been living only on leaves and fruit. Perhaps that has made me thinner.'
The snake had become so soft it could not be angry with anyone. It had totally forgotten that the boys had almost killed it.
"The swamiji said: 'it can't be mere want of food that has reduced you to this state. There must be some other reason. Tell me.' The snake said: 'Yes, revered sir, now I remember. The boys one day dashed me violently against the ground. They are ignorant, after all. They didn't realize what a great change had come over my mind. How could they know I wouldn't bite or harm anyone?'
The swamiji exclaimed: 'what a great fool are you? You don't know how to protect yourself? I asked you not to bite, but I didn't ask you not to hiss. Why didn't you scare them by hissing?'
Moral of the story: Don't harm others, but protect yourself.
