How did the two baby birds get separated?
The birds lived in a tree in the forest with their mother. One day, a forest had a storm and the tree fell, killing their mother. Both the baby birds were flown from there by the wind. They landed at two different places and thus got separated.
Where did each of them find a home?
One of the baby birds found home in the cave that had robbers living in it while the other one landed living near in an ashram of the rishi. Both these places were on opposite ends of the forest.
What did the first bird say to the stranger?
The first bird spoke to alert the robbers in the cave that there was a person with jewellery beneath the tree and should be looted soon otherwise he might slip away.
What did the second bird say to him?
The second bird lived in the rishi’s ashram. He welcomed the king into the ashram, told him where cold water was and asked him to wait inside for the rishi to return.
How did the rishi explain the different ways in which the birds behaved?
The rishi said that there was a stark difference between the behaviors of both the birds because of the difference of company they lived into. The bird that has always heard the talk of robbers, imitated the words of the robbers. On the other hand, this bird has always heard the talk of rishis, repeated the words of the rishis.
Which one of the following sums up the story best?
(i) A bird in hand is worth two in the bush.
(ii) One is known by the company one keeps.
(iii) A friend in need is a friend indeed.
(ii) ‘One is known by the company one keeps’
This quotes sums the story the best as it talks about the mental state of two birds born to the same parents but growing in different environment and eventually becoming totally different individuals.