In a dense forest, where trees touched the sky and the fragrance of flowers floated in the air, lived a clever rabbit named Chanchal. Chanchal was famous for his sharp wit and quick thinking. In the same forest lived a bear named Balram, who was strong but often got into trouble because of his greed.
In the heart of the forest stood an ancient banyan tree, beneath which lay a small pond. Fish swam in the pond, and nearby was a beehive, its honey-scented sweetness wafting through the air. One day, Balram sat by the pond, eyeing the fish greedily. He thought to himself, “If I catch all the fish, I won’t have to worry about food for days!”
Chanchal, who was resting in a nearby bush, overheard Balram’s plan. He immediately realized that Balram’s greed could spell disaster for the pond’s fish. Chanchal decided he had to act. He hopped over to Balram and said, “Brother Balram, why do you look so glum? What’s on your mind?”
Balram shared his plan, “Chanchal, I want to catch all the fish in this pond. It’ll keep my belly full for a long time.”
Chanchal smiled and said, “That’s a great idea, Balram! But have you seen that beehive?” He pointed to the banyan tree, where bees buzzed noisily. “There’s so much honey up there that you could feast for months. Fish can be caught any day, but honey? That’s something special!”
A spark of greed lit up Balram’s eyes. He said, “You’re right, Chanchal! Honey is far tastier than fish. But how do I reach the beehive? It’s so high up.”
Chanchal devised a plan. He said, “Just follow my lead. I’ll fetch a rope, and you can tie it to the tree’s branch. Then you can climb up to the beehive.”
Balram liked the idea. Chanchal found a sturdy rope in the forest and handed it to Balram. Balram tied one end of the rope to a branch and the other around his waist. Chanchal said, “Now hold the rope and climb up to get the honey!”
Excited, Balram began climbing the rope. But as soon as he reached the beehive, the bees swarmed him, stinging furiously. Balram yelled, “Oh no, these bees are attacking me!” In a panic, he let go of the rope and fell to the ground. Luckily, he wasn’t badly hurt, but his greed now felt like foolishness.
Chanchal, standing nearby, chuckled. He said, “Brother Balram, your greed got the better of you. If you had been content with catching a few fish or tried to take just a little honey, this wouldn’t have happened.”
Balram hung his head in shame. He apologized to Chanchal and promised to stop being greedy. From that day on, Balram took only what he needed and lived in harmony with the other animals in the forest.
Moral Lesson: Greed always leads to harm; contentment and wisdom bring true happiness.