Four Harmonious Friends - Tenzin Dasel

"Once upon a time deep in the forests of Varanasi were four animals, the elephant, the rabbit, the monkey and the partridge who had disputed over the ownership of a tree from which all of them fed from.

The elephant claimed, “It’s my tree because I saw it first!”

To this the monkey replied, “Well then, have you seen any fruits on this tree?”

 The elephant unwillingly agreed while the monkey proudly claimed, “That’s because I ate them before you saw them.”

And then  the rabbit intruded stating it has been feeding on the leaves of this tree when the tree was just a little sapling,which was way before the monkey ate its fruit and way before the elephant saw the tree.
The partridge who had been watching this argument finally came forward and said, “The tree belongs to me, for if I hadn’t spit the seed the tree wouldn’t have grown. It is because of me the tree grew, this was way before the rabbit fed on its leaves, way before the monkey ate its fruit, and way before the elephant saw the tree."

The three animals conceded that the partridge was the first to know about the tree, hence respected to its seniority and bowed regarding the partridge as their elder brother.
They all became friends and shared the tree. All of them enjoyed the tree’s nourishing fruits, and the bounty of its shade.

 They worked together to get the fruits.  The fruits on the ground and the lowest branches where picked by the rabbit and the partridge. The monkey climbed the trees and dropped the fruits for everyone however only the elephant could reach the highest branches. The four friends helped one another and lived harmoniously



This story is a national identity of  Bhutan, a story told in every household.
It is a reminder to live in harmony with nature, respect ones differences, to co-operate, and the importance of friendship. The story of the Four Harmonious friends (Theunpa Puen Zhi )  perfectly demonstrated harmony, interdependence, co-operation and friendship.