Moral Stories 133
These included a number of fruits, too. The bird Varondo used to eat
those fruits.
One day a beautiful fruit came floating with the waves. The first
mouth of the Varondo bird began to eat that fruit. It was called Amrita
or ambrosia fruit. The fruit was very beautiful to look at as well as
sweet to eat.
While eating, it said to the second mouth, "In my life I have eaten
many floating fruits from the sea. But I have never taken such a tasty
fruit."
Then the second mouth said, "Is it so? Then don't eat the whole. Let
me have a share of it to satisfy myself."
The first mouth said laughing,
- "What is the need of it? We have the same stomach. Anything taken
by anyone of us will go to the same stomach. "
Saying this, the first mouth ate the whole fruit. The second mouth was
very angry not to have the share of it. It was jealous. It decided to
teach the other mouth a good lesson by any means. It began to look
for an opportunity.
A few days later the second mouth found a poisonous fruit beside the
sea. Then it called the first mouth and said, "You the selfish, you
didn't give me share of the Ambrosia fruit the other day. Today I will
eat this poisonous fruit. By eating this I will take revenge of that
humiliation."
Hearing about the poisonous fruit the first mouth became scared. It
shouted, "O, never make such a mistake. Don't bring danger on
ourselves. Neither of the two mouths will survive if this fruit is
eaten."
But then the second mouth was burning with jealousy. It did not pay
heed to the first mouth. In a moment it swallowed the poisonous fruit.
And then?
And then there happened the most terrible thing.