On a very tall peepal tree lived hundreds of little birds in their cozy nests. It was winter, but the sun felt warm during the day. All the birds sang, played, and took care of each other’s nests together.
Nearby lived a troop of monkeys. Their leader was Uchlū – very naughty and talkative. Monkeys hated the cold. One day it rained heavily, and the wind became freezing. The monkeys started shivering. Uchlū saw that the birds’ nests were dry and warm. He thought, “Let’s take their nests!”
Uchlū took all his monkeys, climbed the tree, and shouted, “These nests are ours now! Everybody out!” The birds got scared. Baby birds started crying. But an old, wise sparrow named Buddhi Aunty came forward and said, “Monkey brother, we made these nests with our own hard work. You are big and strong – you can build even better homes for yourselves.”
Uchlū laughed, “I don’t know how to work hard! I’ll just take what I want!” He pulled down one nest and sat in it. The other monkeys started breaking more nests.
Buddhi Aunty signaled to all the birds. Quietly, they flew far away and found a big tree full of dry leaves and grass. Together, they set it on fire. Soon, smoke and flames rose high in the sky.
Then Buddhi Aunty shouted loudly, “Fire! Fire! The whole jungle is burning!” The monkeys panicked. Uchlū yelled, “Run! Run!” All the monkeys dropped the nests and ran in every direction. Some even jumped into the water, afraid their tails would catch fire.
When the monkeys were gone, the birds came back laughing, fixed their nests, and hugged each other. Buddhi Aunty said, “See, nothing is stronger than cleverness and unity.”
Uchlū had run very far. Shivering in the cold again, he told his friends, “From today, we will work hard and build our own homes. Taking others’ things is not good.”
After that day, the monkeys built strong shelters with leaves and branches and became friends with the birds. Everyone lived together happily.
Moral Lesson: Instead of taking away someone else’s hard work, do your own hard work. Cleverness and unity can solve any problem.