The contract!

Long, long ago, the entire region of Silbaripuram was a dense forest. This was a time when mongooses and snakes continued their traditional rivalry as sworn enemies of the jungle.

Once, a powerful mongoose came face-to-face with a fiercely venomous snake. However, deviating from their usual instinct, both of them had a thought:

"There is a possibility of losing one's life in this fight. So, it is wiser to avoid an attack."

Thus, they made a peace treaty.

The snake said, "If any danger comes to you, I will protect you. If danger comes to me, you must save me."

The mongoose agreed to the contract.

Several days passed. One day—a hunter was searching for a large snake to capture and sell to zookeepers. He set traps in many places and moved on.

Just then, the large snake got caught in one of his nets. However, the hunter had already moved ahead to check his other traps. The snake hissed, writhing within the nets, desperate to escape.

At that moment, the mongoose and its baby ran over to the spot. But, the mongoose was cutting the nets very slowly. The little mongoose looked on and said, "Let me help you cut the net too!"

But the adult mongoose did not allow it. Meanwhile, the mongoose kept an eye out for the hunter. The instant the mongoose spotted the hunter approaching, it quickly finished cutting the net! The mongoose and its baby immediately vanished into the forest, and the snake quickly slithered into its burrow!

When they reached their own den, the baby mongoose asked, "Instead of cutting the net very quickly, you cut it slowly, and you didn't even let me help. What was the reason?"

The adult mongoose replied, "Only the snake and I are part of the contract. But, if I had saved the snake earlier, it would have swallowed you up. By waiting and cutting the net only when the hunter was near, the snake only focused on its own immediate self-preservation."

Think about it: Only when intelligence ,logic, and vigilance come together can a person achieve true success in life!