In a huge fig tree, outside the town of Ujjain, lived a magnanimous heron and a wicked crow. Though they were poles apart from each other in nature, they had started to enjoy each other’s company.
On a very hot summer's day, a tired traveller stopped to rest under the cool shade of the fig tree. He put his bow and arrows down beside him and went to sleep.
After some time, the shadow of the tree moved, leaving the traveller’s face exposed to the sun. The traveller was getting disturbed by the sunlight and was not able to sleep peacefully.
When the kind-hearted heron saw this, he spread out his wings to protect the traveller from the sun. The wicked crow was watching all this. It was not in his nature to help anyone or to tolerate others’ happiness. It was an eye sore for him to see the traveller sleeping soundly under his tree. The crow just wanted to take delight in troubling the traveller somehow. So, as soon as the traveller opened his mouth to yawn, the crow relieved himself right into his mouth and flew off.
The man sprung up on his feet and looked angrily
around him. He spotted the heron sitting with his wings open on the tree and mistook him for the culprit. He picked up his bow and arrow and shot the bird dead.
If only the hapless heron had known that the company of the wicked often brings trouble, he would have stayed alive.
On a very hot summer’s day, a tired traveller ......
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