Tale of the Bird with Two Heads

Panchtantra Stories

There was a great bird named Bharunda which lived on the banks of a lake. He was special for he had two heads but a single body. One day, he found a delicious fruit. One of the heads said, "My good luck to have found this delicious fruit, I am sure it is sent from the heaven only for me". Hearing this, the second head said, "O brother, let me also taste the fruit you are praising so much."  The first head laughed and said, "Both of us have the same stomach. It makes no difference whether I eat it or you eat it. I shall give it to our beloved. She will be very happy." Bharunda thus gave the fruit to his wife. The second head was disappointed at this action of the first head.  One day, the second head found a poisonous fruit and told the first head, "You treacherous fellow. For what you have done to me, I will eat this poisonous fruit and avenge your insult."  The second head said, "You fool, if you eat that, both of us will die because we have the same body."  Ignoring his warning, the second head ate the poisonous fruit and both of them died.  After listening to the story, Chakradhara said, "Friend, what you say is true. You can go home but don’t go alone. Haven’t our elders said:  "Alone, do not eat delicious food, Do not sleep when others are awake, Neither should you travel alone Nor ponder alone over matters."  "See how the Brahmin has survived because he had heeded his mother’s advice and took a crab as his travelling companion."  "How was that?" asked Suvarnasiddhi.