Here’s another great story from the Hitopadesha. Many years ago, on the shores of an ocean, lived a pair of Tittibha birds. Once, a female Tittibha bird was about to have her babies. She requested her husband to find a quiet and safe place for her to lay eggs.
The husband liked the place where they lived very much and did not want to go away from there. He asked his wife, “My dear, what is wrong with this place?”
She said, “Dear, this place is not at all safe as it gets flooded with water whenever there is a high tide in the ocean.”
The husband was furious as he thought that his wife was underestimating his strength and said angrily, “What? Do you think I am so powerless that the ocean would dare do such a thing?”
The wife tried to make her husband understand the truth and said, “Dear husband, you must not compete with the mighty ocean and be over confident of your powers. You may pay for being so proud.”
But the male Tittibha was adamant and so the poor female had to lay her eggs on the shore.
The ocean had overheard the conversation of the two birds and made up his mind to teach the over confident male Tittibha a good lesson. He washed away the eggs at the first opportunity.
The poor wife went crying to her husband and informed him that their eggs had been swept away by the ocean. The male Tittibha consoled her and promised to get her eggs back. He thought for a while and then called an assembly of birds.
They all went together to their king, Garuda.The male Tittibha pleaded with him, “Master! We were living peacefully at home. We never caused any harm to the ocean and yet he has tormented me and my wife by taking away our eggs. How can you let such an injustice happen to us in your reign?”
King Garuda further approached Lord Vishnu, the preserver of the world, and narrated the whole incident to him. Lord Vishnu immediately set out to meet the ocean, decked up in fighting gear and ordered the ocean to return the eggs of Tittibha birds. The ocean was petrified to see Lord Vishnu and did not want to incur His wrath. He immediately apologised to Him and returned the eggs.
Thus, a determined little bird was able to have his way with the mighty ocean.
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