Rash action

The Bird with to heads

A great bird lived by the banks of a lake. He had two heads. One day, he found a delicious fruit as he was walking along the lakeside. It was tasty, like ambrosia.

'Oh, what a tasty fruit!' mumbled the head that was eating. 'I'm sure the heavens have sent it for me. I'm so fortunate!

'O brother,' the second head said, 'let me also taste it.'

The other head laughed.

'Both of us have the same stomach, it said. 'It makes no difference whether 1 eat it or you eat it. I shall give it to our beloved wife. She will be so very happy.'The bird gave the fruit to his wife. The second head was disappointed with the first head.

One day, the second head found a poisonous fruit. 'You treacherous fellow,' he said angrily to the first head, 'for what you did to me, I will eat this poisonous fruit and take revenge.'

'You fool!' said the scared, second head. 'If you eat that, both of us will die because we have the same body! Don't eat it'

In spite of his warning, the second head ate the poisonous fruit and the great bird died.The fourth Brahmin said, 'Friend, I agree that what you say is true. You can go home now, but do not travel alone. Do not eat delicious food alone, and do not sleep when others are awake. You should also never travel alone or think over matters alone.

See how the Brahmin boy survived because he took his mother's advice and took a crab along as his travelling companion.

How could the crab help the Brahmin boy?' asked the curious third Brahmin.

A Brahmin boy lived in a city with his old mother. One day, he decided to travel to another village. 'Do not travel alone, but take someone with you,' said his mother anxiously.

The boy said, "The road is safe and I have to go on urgent business. Please do not be anxious."

Knowing that he would go, the mother went to the well in the backyard and returned with a crab.

'Keep this crab with you during your travel,' she said. The boy put the crab in a camphor box, which he put in a vessel. He set off on his journey. It was summer time and it was very hot that day. Walking in the hot sun made him sleepy, so he rested under a big tree.

A snake emerged from the hollow of the tree. Attracted by the fragrance of camphor, the snake greedily swallowed the box along with the crab inside. The annoyed crab was jostled rudely and emerged quickly from the box, nipped the head of the snake and killed it.

The Brahmin boy woke up and found the dead snake and the camphor box open. When he saw the crab alive, he knew what had happened.

He, then, remembered the words of his mother and realized it was good that he had listened to her. Her advice had saved him from death.

The fourth Brahmin concluded his story. "Friend, he said, 'do you see how important it is to always have a companion with you?"

But the third Brahmin went on his way.

Thus, ended the fifth tantra of Vishnu Sharma.