How the Squirrel Got His Stripes
by A Tale from the Ramayana
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This tale from the Ramayana explains the three white stripes on a squirrel's back while teaching the dignity of labour and the value of every contribution, however small. When Lord Rama orders his army to build a bridge across the sea to Lanka, thousands of mighty monkeys pull huge rocks and stones from the mountains and cut them to shape. A tiny brown squirrel, wanting to help Rama out of pure love, carries little pebbles in his mouth and drops them into the sea. A great monkey mocks and laughs at him, and when the squirrel refuses to leave, an angry monkey picks him up by the tail and flings him far away. Crying out Rama's name, the squirrel falls straight into Rama's hands. Rama gently rebukes the monkeys: 'Do not make fun of the weak and the small. Your strength or what you do is not important. What matters is your love.' He tenderly strokes the squirrel's back with his fingers, and where his fingers passed, three white stripes appear. From that day the squirrel proudly carries the three white marks of Lord Rama's fingers.
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This is one of the many stories connected with the Ramayana. It gives an imaginative reason for the stripes on a squirrel's body while emphasising the dignity of labour, the importance of feelings in team work, and the truth that even the smallest contribution is valuable in some way.
Building the bridge
Lord Rama asks his army to build a bridge over the sea. Work begins at once on a stone bridge. Thousands of monkeys pull out rocks and heavy stones from the mountains, carry them to the sea, cut them to shape and begin to build. It is very difficult work that takes a long time, and the monkeys labour night and day. Watching them, Rama feels happy and thinks, 'How hard they work! Their love for me makes them work like this.'
The little squirrel's effort
One day Rama notices a small brown squirrel going up and down the seashore with little pebbles in his mouth, dropping them into the sea. A great monkey carrying a huge stone almost trips over the squirrel and shouts at him in a voice 'like thunder', asking what he is doing. The squirrel politely replies that he is helping Rama build the bridge and wants to work hard for him. The monkey laughs aloud and calls it 'the funniest story' he has ever heard, and the other monkeys laugh too.
Mocked and flung away
The squirrel is not discouraged. He explains that God gave him only a little strength, so he can carry only pebbles, but his heart 'cries out for Rama' and he will do all he can. The monkeys tell him not to be foolish and to go home, but the squirrel refuses and keeps carrying pebbles. Angered, one of the monkeys picks the squirrel up by his tail and throws him far away. Crying out the name of Rama, the squirrel falls straight into Rama's hands.
The gift of the stripes
Rama holds the squirrel close and tells the monkeys, 'Do not make fun of the weak and the small. Your strength or what you do is not important. What matters is your love. This little squirrel has love in his heart.' He then gently passes his fingers over the squirrel's back, and when he puts him down there are three white stripes where his fingers touched, the marks of Lord Rama's fingers. From that day the squirrel carries the three white stripes on his back. The tale reminds us to value every individual's contribution, respect the weak, and understand that love matters more than physical strength.