There once stood a huge banyan tree along the bank of a river. A bird with two heads lived on that tree. The two heads always quarreled with each other.

One day, the bird was flying in search of food. Suddenly, one of his heads saw a tree laden with fruits. The head wished to eat the fruits, so the bird flew to that tree. The fruits had a very sweet smell. Picking up fruit, the bird flew to the river bank. The head started eating it. Seeing this, the other head said, “The fruit seems to be delicious. I want to taste it once.” But, the first head refused to share it. He said, “Why do you need to eat it? We have only one stomach. Whoever eats it, it’ll go to the same stomach.”

“I won’t eat the entire fruit, but only see how it tastes,” the second head said.

“No. You can’t even taste it. I saw it first, so only I’ll have it. Now, keep quiet and let me eat.” The other head felt subdued but kept silent.

Another day, when the bird was flying, the first head spotted some fruits on a tree. When the bird plucked a fruit, some other bird cried, “Don’t eat it! It’s poisonous!”

But, the first head was adamant. “As I have already plucked the fruit, I’ll definitely have it,” it said. “If you eat it, both of us will die,” said the second head trying to stop the first head, but failed. Ultimately, the first head ate the poisonous fruit and the bird died.

Moral: Those who are not united will perish.