During a hot and dry summer, a short-tempered elephant lived near a large river. As the temperature rose, so did his anger. Whenever other animals came peacefully to drink water, the elephant would suddenly chase them away by frightening them.
One day, a tiny sparrow came to drink water. The elephant got angry and shouted, “You’re such a small bird! How dare you drink water here?”
Saying this, the elephant used his long trunk to destroy the sparrow’s nest. In that nest were some eggs—all of them fell and broke.
Tears welled up in the sparrow’s eyes. With tearful eyes, she went to nearby animals for help. But everyone said, “You’re too small. You can’t do anything to an elephant.”
The sparrow replied, “I am not alone. If we unite, we become strong.”
Then she went and called a swarm of bees, a woodpecker, frogs, and ants. Together, they made a plan.
The next day, while the elephant was in deep sleep, the bees flew into his ears and started stinging. In pain, the elephant screamed and began running. At that moment, the woodpeckers started pecking his eyes—he could no longer see. The frogs stood near the riverbank and began croaking, making it seem like the river was farther away.
The blind elephant followed the sound, and while walking, he fell into a deep pit. He could never get out of it again.
Then the sparrow said to the others, “Even if we are small, if we stay united, we can defeat anyone.”
Moral: Unity is great strength. Even the weak can defeat the mightiest oppressor if they stand together. With courage, honesty, and unity, the small are never truly weak.