Gabbru, Dhenchu and Golu were three donkeys who worked for one master.
Gabbru was the wise one. He feared no one. Dhenchu was the clever one. He worked smart, not hard. Golu, on the other hand, was the simplest of them. He would listen to anybody.
One day, all three of them were walking toward the market carrying their master’s goods. There was a river on their way, which they had to cross.
Clever Dhenchu could smell the goods and figure out what he was carrying. If the master put heavy bags on his back, he would pretend to feel dizzy. So his master would not put the heavy bags on his back.
Today, he had a sack of salt on his back.
While crossing the river, Dhenchu suddenly dipped himself in it.
“Hey, Dhenchu! What are you doing?” asked Golu, surprised. “Are you taking a bath?”
“No, no, Golu! I’m reducing my weight by taking a dip in the river,” said Dhenchu.
“Can the load become lighter by dipping in the river?” asked Golu.
Golu did not realise that by dipping in the river, the salt on Dhenchu’s back would dissolve and the weight of the bag would reduce.
“Oh yes,” said Dhenchu. “If you want, you too can take a dip and see for yourself,” said Dhenchu and laughed. He was amused by Golu’s foolishness. He had seen the empty jars packed on Golu’s back.
Gabbru cried out, “Golu! Don’t listen to him! He always makes losses for our master. And now he’s just taking you for a fool.”
“What? But how is this making a fool out of him?” said Dhenchu, angrily to Gabry. “Come on, tell me!”
“You took a dip in the river, to lessen the load on your back. Our master is clearly going to face losses,” Gabru replied.
“I don’t care. The weight on my back got reduced. I now have to carry less weight!” saying so Dhenchu turned towards Golu and said, “If you want to reduce the weight on your back, you too should take a dip.”
“Really?” asked Golu, in excitement.
“Yes, it worked for me! Ask Gabbru if you don’t trust me. When the salt dissolved away in the water, did the weight of the sack get reduced or increased?” asked Dhenchu.
But before he could finish, Golu said, “I too will take a dip in the water. Gabbru, you too should take a dip if you want to lose some weight.”
Gabbru had cotton sacks on his back, which were lightweight anyway. He did not take a dip in the river. He knew that if he did, the cotton would become wet and heavier.
He screamed at Golu, “Hey, wait! Listen to me…” But Golu had already taken a dip.
There were empty jars on Golu’s back which were now filled with water. As soon as he came out of the water, Golu realised that he was now carrying three times the weight as earlier. He began feeling dizzy.
His legs shook but somehow he managed to walk ahead.
“What’s this? I took a dip, but my weight increased!” Golu said to himself.
“That’s exactly why I was shouting. But you did not stop to listen! And now you must bear the consequences,” said Gabbru, as he walked with him.
Golu somehow reached the marketplace. His waist and legs were aching severely.
Since then, Golu stopped simply copying others without giving it a good thought.
Golu realised that unless you use your brains, merely copying others is useless. It could actually be harmful.
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