The Two-Headed Bherunda Bird

Along the road to Kāśī, a great bird crossed the sky above Manisiddhu and Shounaka, so high that its shadow slid across the whole valley. "Imagine seeing the world from up there," said Shounaka. "I know a bird with two heads that saw twice as much as any other," Manisiddhu said, "and still nearly missed what mattered."

Above a wide forest lived a mighty Bherunda bird with two heads. Aruna watched the eastern path while Varuna watched the west.

Each believed its own view was better.

When Aruna spotted sweet fruit, Varuna complained, "You always rush." When Varuna chose a sheltered nesting tree, Aruna replied, "You always worry."

Their arguments made the shared wings turn right, then left, until the great bird sometimes travelled nowhere at all.

One afternoon, a storm swept over the forest. Below, a herd of deer became trapped between a swollen stream and a fallen tree.

"There!" cried Aruna. From the eastern side, she could see a high shelf of safe rock.

"This way!" called Varuna. From the west, he could see a clear route between the trees.

For once, the two heads stopped arguing and joined what they knew.

The Bherunda flew low, picked up a bright flowering vine, and laid it along the safe route. The deer followed that colourful guide away from the stream and climbed onto the rock shelf before the water rose.

When the storm passed, Aruna looked west. "My eyes do not see everything."

"Nor do mine," Varuna said, looking east.

From then on, when the heads disagreed, they asked, "What can you see that I cannot?"

Two voices no longer felt like a burden. They became two windows through which one magnificent bird could understand more of the world.

When Manisiddhu finished the tale, Shounaka smiled. "Sharing one body did not force them to think alike."

"No," said Manisiddhu. "It taught them to make their differences useful."