144. Aesop's Fables - A Bundle of Sticks

Once there lived an old man in a far village. He had three sons who managed his business. They were hard working and often quarrelled among themselves.

The old man was wise. He often tried to unite his sons and make them work together, but failed every time.

One day the old man suddenly fell sick. He was worried about his sons and them. He advised them not to fight and work together. But his sons were blockheaded and gave no attention to their father's advise.

The old man was wise. He decided to give his sons a lesson on importance of unity.

He asked his grandson to get a bundle of sticks from the garden in backyard. The grandson gathered the sticks and gave them to him.

That evening when his sons came back from work, the old man told them all to be seated near him. He gave each of them ten sticks in a bundle and ask them to break them. The sons took the bunch and broke each stick one by one. Then the old man gave each of them another bundle of ten sticks tied with coir rope. He asked his sons to break the tied bundle of sticks. The sons tried hard but the sticks in bundle did not break. 

So they gave up and told their father about it.

The old man said, "My dear sons, three of you are my strength when you stand together. You can earn better and live in harmony only when you do not fight and understand each other. Like this sticks, if you separate and lone anyone can defeat you. But if you all stand and work together you will win over your enemies. Stay united, work hard and prosper!"

The son were moved to hear their father. They understood why unity is important and promised their father to have understanding among themselves.

From that day onwards, the sons lived together with understanding and love for each other. They worked together in the business and earned well. They grew happy, rich and prosperous.

Moral: Unity is Strength. United we stand, divided we fall.