There were six friends called Mahesh, Naresh, Mayuri, Kamala, Nayana and Raman. One day they were walking in the woods. They had walked a long way, and were getting very hungry. They were looking for something that they could eat. They were overjoyed to see a big mango tree. The tree was full of juicy mangos.

Mahesh, who was the most impatient, said, "Maybe I could run to that cottage and get an axe to cut the tree down, so we can eat the mangos to our satisfaction." Naresh said, "Wait, we do not need to cut the tree, we could cut some of the larger branches, and we need a saw for that. I will go and get one." Mayuri said, "Why should we cut the large branches? All we need to do is snap some of the smaller branches with the mangos on them, and you do not need anything for that." Kamala was listening to all this. She laughed and said, "My friends, you are not really thinking. We all want to eat mangos, so why should we not cut only the bunches of the mangos from the tree? We do not need to cut the tree, the large or small branches." Nayana said, "Think carefully; all we need to do is to climb the tree and pick the ripe mangos to eat. That way we will not destroy the tree or its branches.”

Raman, who was the wisest and kindest of all, said “Listen to me friends, trees are so important that they are called lifegivers. Trees give us shade, they attract rain, they produce oxygen, and they give us fruit and food like this mango tree. More importantly, trees support various forms of life. Therefore if we need fruit, we do not need to cut the tree or its branches, or even pick the fruit from the tree. Look down and you will see that the tree has already shed the ripe fruit, and there are perfectly good mangos on the ground.

We can pick and eat them after washing them." All the friends looked down and found more good mangos than they could eat. They all had enough to satisfy their hunger, and some to take back home.

On their way back home Raman said, "Man cannot do without preserving the environment. All life is precious and we are all dependent on each other for our survival. Man has destroyed nature, and so many species of animals and plants are now no longer found. We should all be very careful how we use natural resources."

MORAL OF THE STORY:
We should live our lives by doing as little harm to other living beings as possible. That is exactly the main message of the principle of Ahimsa (non-violence) as taught in Jainism.