The Spider’s Web

Grandfather, peering over the top of his book, wondered why the children were so quiet. Oh! There they are, standing open-mouthed, watching a busy spider cleverly weaving its web on the cross-beams of the verandah.

Turning to her grandfather, little Nadira cried out, “Grandfather, why do there have to be spiders? They are such horrid, crawly things.”

Grandfather put his book down with a sigh. “There is an old Sanskrit verse which says that in the whole of creation there is not one thing that is useless.”

“Surely that doesn’t include such things as spiders and beetles?” queried Nadira.

“Of course it does,” said Grandfather. “I will tell you a little story of how a spider helped a king.”

Many years ago, the Kingdom of Madya was ruled by King Yashpal, who was considered a very learned philosopher. Now, King Yashpal loathed all insects, which he considered to be just a nuisance in life. In fact, his dislike for insects was so intense that he gave orders to exterminate all insects in the kingdom.

Now, there came a day when the kingdom was invaded, and when King Yashpal’s army was badly defeated, the King, with a few trusted followers, had to flee for their lives.

To try and elude their pursuers, the King and his men hid in a forest. But sleep was out of the question, for swarms of mosquitoes kept them awake, and it was lucky they did, otherwise the King would never have heard his adversaries creeping up on them through the undergrowth.

The King and his men stumbled to their feet and, making as little noise as possible, went deeper into the forest. After some time, they came to the foothills, but the barren slopes offered scant hiding places. Suddenly, one of the men discovered a small cave partly obscured by boulders. Here at least was shelter, and there was always the chance that their pursuers would not discover the cave.

When day broke, they heard the soldiers grumbling and shouting as they climbed the hillside. Hardly daring to breathe, the King and his companions stood silent and tense as the soldiers drew near to their hiding place. Soon the King could see shadowy figures at the entrance of the cave, and then a loud voice exclaimed, “They cannot be in here. For there is an unbroken spider’s web across the entrance. They must have gone on. So come along, otherwise we shall never catch them.”

When the soldiers had departed, the King gave a great sigh of relief. While they had been inside the cave, a busy spider had spun its web across the entrance, and in doing so, saved the life of a King.

Grandfather made himself more comfortable in his chair and reached for his book. “So you see, children,” he said with a smile. “Even a small spider can change the pages of history.”