On the edge of a lush village, there lived a farmer named Somu. He owned a large oil mill, and to keep the mill turning, he had a hardworking donkey named Mani. Every single day, from sunrise to sunset, Mani would walk in circles around the heavy mill stone. It was a tiring and repetitive life.
One afternoon, while Mani was resting under the shade of a mango tree, a mischievous monkey named Chinnu watched him from above. Chinnu was clever but very lazy. He thought to himself, "Look at that poor donkey, stuck in the same circle every day. If I can trick him into carrying me, I can travel without even walking!"
Chinnu swung down from a branch and approached Mani. "Oh, dear Mani!" he exclaimed with fake sympathy. "Why do you waste your life in this tiny circle? Come with me! Beyond this forest lies a magnificent mountain range filled with sweet fruits and golden sunshine. We can live like kings there!"
Mani, dreaming of a life of freedom and delicious treats, felt a spark of hope. "Really?" Mani asked. "Let's go!" he agreed. Chinnu hopped onto Mani's back, and the journey began.
As night fell, Chinnu felt very sleepy. He wanted to pretend they had traveled a great distance so that Mani wouldn't try to walk any further. "Don't worry, Mani," Chinnu whispered, yawning. "We have crossed the deep forest and are almost at the mountains. Let's rest here for the night."
In reality, Mani had simply been walking in a wide circle around the farmer's courtyard all night long. Chinnu, feeling very proud of his cleverness, fell into a deep sleep, believing he had successfully tricked the donkey into a long journey.
When the sun rose the next morning, Chinnu opened his eyes and gasped. He wasn't in a magnificent mountain range; he was still in the same mango grove! Mani had spent the entire night walking in a large loop around the very same oil mill. Chinnu had tricked Mani, but they hadn't moved an inch toward a new land.
Just then, Somu the farmer arrived. He had seen the monkey's trickery from his window. He chased the naughty Chinnu away from the farm. Mani felt embarrassed and tired, realizing that listening to a trickster had led him nowhere. Chinnu learned that being clever to hurt others only leads to being chased away.
Moral
Listening to the wrong advice will keep you stuck exactly where you started.
