“A troupe of monkeys was living somewhere in the mountains. It was winter. The rain, accompanied by a strong wind, drenched their bodies, and they shivered with cold.
“Some of the monkeys found some red Gunja fruits and began to blow them, hoping to make fire from them.
“A bird, by the name of Suchimukha, saw their vain attempts and said to them, ‘What big fools you are! Those aren’t embers of fire, they’re only gunja fruits. You’re wasting your time! These fruits can never protect you against the cold! Find some place to shelter, in a jungle or a cave or a burrow, where the rain and the wind can’t reach you.’
‘Fool yourself!’ said one of the old monkeys. ‘What is it to do with you! For they say: “A wise man who wants to succeed, Should never give advice To a man who has been repeatedly obstructed in his work Or to a gambler, who has just lost his money.” ‘
But, disregarding what the old monkey had said, the bird persisted in asking why the monkeys were making such an effort and all to no purpose and he refused to stop his chatter. One monkey, who had become frustrated by his vain efforts, caught hold of the bird by the wings and smashed him against a stone, killing him.
“And so,” continued Karataka, “that’s why I said: ‘Advice given to fools, Instead of calming them, Only makes them more excited. Just as giving milk to snakes Only increases their poison.’
And, another thing, you should not give advice to just anyone. A furious monkey destroyed a sparrow’s nest for the same reason!”
“How was that?” asked Damanaka.
And Karataka told: THE STORY OF THE SPARROW AND THE MONKEY
