In the jungle lived a huge elephant named Gajaraj. He was very strong but had a very kind heart. Every morning, he bathed in the river and on the way helped little animals drink water, shook trees so fruits would fall for everyone to eat. All animals loved him.
Nearby lived a little jackal named Dhoortu. Dhoortu was very clever, but he hated hard work. He always thought, “How can I become big and respected like Gajaraj without doing anything?”
One day, Dhoortu watched Gajaraj shaking a tall tree with his trunk. Mangoes rained down, and every animal ate happily. Dhoortu felt jealous. He thought, “I should do that too—then everyone will treat me like a king!”
The next day, Dhoortu went to a small tree. He pushed it with all his might. The tree didn’t move, but Dhoortu fell backward and hit the ground hard. Two of his teeth broke, and he started crying in pain.
Gajaraj saw everything from far away. He slowly walked over, gently lifted Dhoortu with his trunk, and asked, “What happened, little brother?” Dhoortu cried, “I wanted to be just like you… give fruits to everyone… but I couldn’t do anything.”
Gajaraj smiled and said, “Dhoortu, I’m not big because I’m an elephant. I’m big because I help others. You may be small, but you have a sharp mind. You can help everyone with your cleverness.”
Dhoortu bowed his head and said, “I won’t be jealous anymore. I will use my strength to help others.”
From the next day, Dhoortu started using his cleverness in good ways. He showed lost babies the way home, gave early warnings of danger, and whenever a fruit got stuck high up, he called Gajaraj to shake it down. Everyone started calling him “Little Hero”.
Gajaraj and Dhoortu became the best of friends. One day, Gajaraj said, “See? Everyone can be big in their own special way.”
Moral Lesson: Being jealous of someone else’s strength gives you nothing. Recognize your own special talent and use it to help others; that is true greatness.