The figure that appears in the moon to Indians is not that of a man but a rabbit, and the story of how it got there is a lesson of charity brought through nature's own tender creature.
The story begins with three friends: a monkey, a fox and a hare, seemingly unlikely friends, to be sure. Among them the rabbit was respected as the wisest of the three, and so they lived together while sharing the sacred vow of his guidance not to kill other creatures. In fact, the hare's greatest urging was the need for compassion and self-sacrifice.
The story relates that the chief among the gods (Indra) came once to test the wisdom of the hare's charity. Approaching the three friends disguised as a beggar he said he was very hungry and pleaded with them for food. The monkey and the fox were at a loss: berries and meager fruits - their accustomed diet - would surely not be enough to satisfy the hungry beggar. As for the rabbit, who ate only grass, something unfit for human consumption, he too was at a loss.
Desperate that their guest should receive suitable hospitality, however, the rabbit came up with a plan: He would literally offer himself! He first lit a fire, then he shook himself until all the lice and fleas could escape from his fur, and then finally he jumped into the fire, intending to offer his own flesh as meat for their hungry guest.
Indra was then moved to act, for the hare’s extreme sacrifice Indra could not allow! (After all, the king of the gods is compassion and mercy personified.) So honorable was the rabbit’s charity to him that he mercifully interceded, preventing the flames from consuming our beneficent hare. Suddenly Indra revealed himself to the rabbit. Then - for all of us to learn forever more of true compassion and self-sacrifice - he dramatically painted the figure of the hare on the face of the moon.
Excerpt from The Forest of Forever
By Swami Kamalananda