A LOVING LION
The legend of Androcles and the lion has undergone several modifications
through ages. It was adopted by Aesop in his famous fable where Androcles is
portrayed as a fugitive slave who ran away from his cruel master and befriended
a wounded lion which later refused to harm him. In his famous play, 'Androcles
and the Lion' (1912) , George Bernard Shaw(1856-1950) presents Androcles as a
compassionate Christian tailor who was saved in the Roman amphitheatre by the
lion he once nursed. The following is a variant version of the old legend.
A king was influenced by the priests of pagan gods. They considered the
Christians as their enemies because the Christians refused to worship idols and
preached against idolatry. The pagan priests conspired against the Christians
and inspired the king to issue an order that everyone must worship the idol of
the king in public and offer incense and sacrifices as acts of adoration to the
king. Anyone who refused to adore the king's idol publicly was to be thrown
into an arena before a hungry lion. The
king's army was ordered to arrest anyone who refused to adore the king and
bring the culprit before the king for trial and judgment. Hundreds of Christian
martyrs were killed by the king's lions and thousands of people used to gather around
the arena to enjoy the public massacre.
Fierce lions were captured from the forest by the hunters appointed by
the king and kept in strong cages in the palace. They were starved before being let loose in
the fenced arena into which the helpless Christians were thrown down
mercilessly amidst the applause of thousands in the gallery around the arena.
Androcles was identified as a practising Christian and was chased by the
king's armed guards. He escaped into a dense forest and sought refuge in a
cave. A wild lion with a large thorn stuck in its right paw entered the cave,
limping on three legs and crying in great pain. He raised the swollen paw and
showed it to Androcles who examined it with great care and compassion. He
carefully removed the thorn and applied the fresh juice of medicinal herbs to
alleviate the pain and cure the wound. The
lion felt relieved and licked the hands of Androcles as a mark of gratitude and
love. He wagged his tail like a tame dog and left the cave thankfully. A few
days later, the king's men traced Androcles and captured him. He was produced
before the king. As Androcles refused to renounce his Christian faith, the king
ordered that he shall be thrown to be eaten by a wild lion in the arena the
next day.
Thousands arrived to witness the cruel murder.
The king and the queen was seated in a special box. Androcles was brought to
the arena . He knelt down and prayed to God fervently. A hungry lion was
brought in a cage in a carriage. Its heavy grating was opened and the lion was
let free to attack the helpless Androcles. The hungry lion jumped from the cage
into the arena, roaring fiercely, ready to pounce upon his prey.
But, quite unexpectedly the lion became tame
as he approached Androcles. He wagged his tail and licked Androcles with great
affection. The lion recognized Androcles as the person who removed the thorn
from his painful paw and affectionately nursed him before the lion was caught
from the forest and was taken into the custody of the king's troops.
Everyone was struck with wonder.
The king learned from Androcles the
story of his encounter with the lion and praised his kindness. The king was
deeply impressed by the religion of Androcles which enabled him to show mercy
and love even to animals. The king stopped the persecution of Christians and
allowed Christians to practise their religion with full freedom. Androcles was
appointed as an important officer in the king's palace but he thankfully declined
the offer and devoted his life to care for the poor, the sick and the
illiterate people of his country.
Jesus said, "And
now I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you
must love one another. If you have love for one another, then everyone will
know that you are my disciples"{John 13: 34, 35}.
"Happy are those who are
merciful to others; God will be merciful to them! Happy are the pure in heart;
they will see God!" {Matthew 5: 7, 8}.
..................................................................................................
© By: Dr. Babu Philip,
Professor, Cochin University of Science & Technology, Fine Arts Avenue,
Kochi-682016, Kerala, India, Prof.
Mrs. Rajamma Babu, Former Professor, St. Dominic's
College, Kanjirappally, Leo. S. John and Neil John, Maniparambil, Ooriyakunnath, Kunnumbhagom, Kanjirappally,
Kottayam-686507, Kerala, India.
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