There was a gang of monkeys who made their home on a mountain slope. When winter came there, it brought not only severe cold but also heavy rains too. Monkeys weren’t able to stand the severe cold, so they started collecting red berries which were wildly growing in the mountain slope. They mistook berries for embers. They started to gather berries around one place and began to blow air at them thinking it would keep them warm.
Suchimukha, a bird was there who was watching all this vain effort of monkeys in amusement thinking what are these monkeys trying to do with those berries. He told them, “You fools, you are thinking that these are embers but they are red berries. Why are you all wasting your time and energy like this on them? This is not going to save you from the cold in any way. Better for you people to go and look for safe shelter in a cave or a place free from the wind where you can keep yourself warm. Can’t you see or notice? the clouds are very thick and there will be no immediate relief from the rain. Go as early as you can.”
There was also an old member of the monkey gang who was listening to bird’s every word quietly. He became very angry with whatever unasked advice that bird gave. He told the bird almost fuming with anger, “Why do you poke your nose in our affairs? It’s none of your business. Go away. There is no one asking for your wasteful words. Haven’t the elders said that he Suchimukha and The Monkey who cherishes his welfare should not talk to a gambler or an inefficient workman? So is the person a fool who talks to an idiot or a pleasure seeker.”
But the bird didn’t learn his lesson and he didn’t take his leave from there. Instead of that, disregarding the old monkey’s anger and not giving room to any other monkey to talk, the bird went on repeating his advice to them continuously poking them to go somewhere else and seek shelter elsewhere in which monkeys weren’t even interested. Monkeys were irritated and tired with the bird’s unwanted advice, so one of the monkeys sprang at the bird and bashed him against a rock till he was dead.
Karataka finished the story and said at the end of it, “If you counsel a fool it will only provoke him and not pacify. You know if you feed milk to a snake it will just increase its store of poison and it will come back to you with more passion to bite you. That’s why you shouldn’t be advising everyone. Look, how two good sparrows lost their home, all due to a foolish monkey.”
Damanaka’s requested Karataka to began the story and, Karataka began telling the story of the evil monkey and his bad deeds.
