The Doves Who Flew Together

In a forest there lived a king of the doves named Chitragriva, with his whole flock.

One day, flying overhead, they saw grains of rice scattered on the ground. Every dove swooped down. But the grain was a fowler's bait — the moment they landed, a net dropped over them and the entire flock was caught.

They beat their wings in panic, each bird pulling in its own direction. The net did not shift an inch.

Then Chitragriva called out, "Stop! Pulling separately, none of us will rise. Together — all wings at once, all in one direction — and we fly with the net."

The doves did exactly that. One… two… three — and the whole flock rose into the sky, carrying the net with them. Below, the fowler ran after them until he sat down gasping.

But flying does not cut a net. Chitragriva said, "Now to my friend Hiranyaka. He is a mouse, and he is a friend."

The flock came down at Hiranyaka's burrow. The mouse hurried out and began gnawing at once. He went first to free the king.

"No, friend," said Chitragriva. "Free my companions first. If your teeth tire halfway, the king will be loose and his people still trapped. I could not live with that."

Hiranyaka freed them one by one, and the king last of all.

Moral: A net does not tear when everyone pulls a different way. And the true leader is the one who frees himself last.