The Brave Little Parrot

Literal Comprehension: Taken from Buddhist legend, the story “The Brave Little Parrot,” carries a moral lesson at its heart. Once upon a time, Buddha was born as a little parrot. One day, there was lightning, and the thunder struck the jungle, and the fire took the jungle in its grip. The little parrot, at first, tried to save its life flying towards the river but he came to observe that his jungle-friends were captivated inside the flames of the fire. Not being able to tolerate the sufferings of animals, the little parrot made a plan to save their lives. Then the parrot went to the river, dived into it and flew back to the jungle. When it arrived at the point where the fire was the most wild, it sprinkled the few drops of water remaining in its body. Though it was too tired, the little parrot repeatedly went to the river & came back with drops of water with the hope of extinguishing fire. The Gods were passing just above the jungle at that time; they began to laugh seeing the fruitless effort of the little parrot. But the heart of one of the Gods was kindled. He took the form of golden eagle & flew towards the parrot. The eagle advised the parrot to save its life by flying away. But the little parrot replied that he needed help than any advice. The answer of the parrot melted the heart of the golden eagle, & began to weep. The tears of the eagle came down on the earth as a cool rain. The fire was extinguished. New life sprung where the tears fell on. All the dead animals & the plants got their life back as if nothing had happened in the jungle.

Interpretation: This beautiful story is probably trying to give the message that we can get success at the end if we continue our efforts without any hesitation. Because of its strong determination, the little parrot got victory over the deadly fire. The story is also trying to tell that selfless services are always rewarded by the God. Similarly, it also tells us that even the God has to bend its head in front of little creature like parrot if it takes the path of selfless welfare.

Critical Thinking: The story is successful in spreading the Buddhist philosophy of social welfare. But a lot of questions emerge in the mind of a critical reader. Do the Gods really exist in this world? Can the birds talk like human beings? Is it possible that the tears of a bird take the form of stream? Is it possible to restore the life of dead creatures? These are some of the situations in the story that are not agreeable.

Assimilation: The story is based on a myth. The story beautifully draws the Buddhist philosophy of ‘live and let live.’ After reading the story, I truly understood the value of living in a society. We are growing selfish these days. The story teaches us the principle of community service. The story motivates its readers to be laborious, and help the others in need. Value of brotherhood is glorified in the story.