The Foolish Friend
Panchatantra
A king loved his pet monkey and trusted him as a constant companion. The monkey was loyal and eager to help, but he often acted before thinking.
One spring afternoon, the king rested in a flowering garden. “Please keep the place quiet,” he told the monkey.
A bee, drawn by the blossoms, buzzed near the king. The monkey waved a peacock-feather fan. The bee circled away, then returned.
Growing frustrated, the monkey swung the fan harder and harder. A flower vase toppled, a cushion flew and the sleeping king nearly rolled from his couch.
The queen stopped the monkey. “A small problem does not need a large, angry answer,” she said.
She placed a tiny dish of sweets beneath a tree away from the pavilion. The bee followed the fragrance and left the king undisturbed.
When the king awoke, the monkey admitted what had happened. The king kept him as a friend but gave careful duties to trained attendants.
He taught the monkey to pause, ask and choose the gentlest useful action. Loyalty was valuable, but loyalty guided by judgment was safer for everyone.
“Good intentions need patience and good judgment before action.”