| Bagula Bhagat | |
| Director: | Harmesh Malhotra |
| Music: | Kalyanji-Anandji |
| Country: | India |
| Language: | Hindi |
STORY OF BAGULA BHAGAT
There was a very big pond in a forest area. Due to the availability of food material for all types of creatures, various types of creatures, birds, fishes, turtles and crabs lived there. A heron lived nearby, who did not like to work at all.
His eyes were also weak. To catch fish one has to work hard, which he disliked. Therefore, due to laziness he often remained hungry. Standing on one leg, he kept thinking what solution should be found so that he can get food every day without moving his hands and legs. One day he thought of a solution and sat down to try it.
The heron stood at the bank of the pond and started shedding tears from his eyes. When a crab saw him shedding tears, he came near him and asked, “Uncle, what is the matter that instead of hunting fish for food, you are shedding tears while standing?”
The heron hiccupped loudly and said in a hoarse throat, “Son,
I have done enough fishing. Now I will not commit this sin any more. My soul has awakened. That's why I'm not even catching the fishes that come close. You are just watching.” The crab said, "Uncle, won't you hunt, won't you eat something, otherwise won't you die?"
The heron took another hiccup, “It is better for such a life to be destroyed, son, anyway we all have to die soon. I have come to know that soon there will be a twelve year long drought here.” The heron told the crab that this was told to him by a trikaldarshi Mahatma, whose predictions are never wrong.
The crab went and told everyone how the heron had adopted the path of sacrifice and devotion and that a drought was about to occur. All the creatures of that pond like fishes, turtles, crabs, ducks and cranes etc. came running to the heron and said, “Bhagat uncle, now you please tell us some way of rescue. Use your intelligence, you have become a great sage.”
After some thinking, the heron told that there is a reservoir a few kilometers away from there in which a mountain waterfall flows and falls. It never dries up. If all the creatures of the reservoir go there, then rescue can take place. Now the problem was how to reach there?
Bagule Bhagat also solved this problem “I will carry you one by one on my back and take you there because now the rest of my life will be spent in serving others.” All the creatures got very happy and raised slogans of 'Bagula Bhagatji ki Jai'.
Meaning 'victory for Bagula Bhagat ji '
Now Bagula Bhagat has benefited a lot. Every day he would carry an animal on his back, take it some distance to a rock, throw it on the rock, kill it and eat it. Whenever Bhagatji was in a mood, he would take two rounds and kill two animals. The number of animals in the pond started decreasing.
The pile of bones of dead creatures started growing near the rock and Bhagatji's health started improving. He became very fat after eating. There was redness on the face and the feathers started shining with the shine of fat. Seeing him, other living beings would say, “Look, Bhagatji's body is feeling the fruits and virtues of serving others.”
Bagula Bhagat used to laugh a lot in his heart. He used to think that look how many foolish creatures are there in the world, who believe everyone. In a world of such fools, if you use a little cleverness, it can be fun. A lot of food can be served without moving hands or legs. This sequence continued for many days.
One day the crab said to the heron, “Uncle, you have transported so many animals from here to there, but my turn has not come yet.” Bhagatji said, “Son, today I am counting you as my number, come sit on my back.”
The crab became happy and sat on the heron's back. When he reached near the rock, the crab was shocked to see a mountain of bones there. He stammered, “What kind of a pile of bones is this? How far away is that pond, uncle?” Bagula Bhagat laughed loudly and said, “Fool, there is no reservoir there.
I carry each one here on my back and keep eating them. Today you will die.” The crab understood the whole thing. He shuddered but did not lose courage and immediately moved his claws forward and pressed them on the neck of the evil heron and kept pressing them until he lost his life.
1Then the crab returned to the pond with the severed head of heron Bhagat and told all the creatures the truth about how the evil heron Bhagat kept deceiving them.
Lesson: One should not blindly trust anyone's words. One should act with patience and intelligence in times of trouble.
Those who know the story of bagula bhagat have high survival rate
Bagula Bhagat is a 1979 Bollywood action film thriller directed by Harmesh Malhotra. The film stars Ashok Kumar, Kamini Kaushal, Shatrughan Sinha and Shabana Azmi in lead roles.
All lyrics are written by Anjaan.