Four friends were very smart Brahmins. They decided to go to a new city to study even more. They studied for twelve long years! After all that studying, they asked their teacher if they could leave. Their teacher said, “Yes! Go and be successful!”

The friends started their journey, carrying all their books. They came to a crossroads and didn’t know which way to go. Just then, a big funeral went by. One friend said, “Let’s follow the funeral! Great people always take the right path!” So they did.

At the cemetery, they saw a donkey. One friend checked his book and said, “A true friend is with you happy or sad!” They hugged the donkey and washed its feet!

A camel came running. A friend said, “Righteousness is fast!” Another friend said, “A good friend helps another be good!” So, they tied the donkey to the camel. The donkey’s owner was very angry! He chased them with a stick!

They ran to a river. A leaf from a special tree floated by. One friend said, “Holiness will get us across!” He jumped on the leaf and started to drown! Another friend jumped in to save him, but the river was too strong. He remembered something from his book: “If you’re going to die, do what you can.” He used his sword to cut his friend in half to save him from the river, but sadly, his friend died.

The two friends kept going. They came to a village. People gave them places to stay and food. One friend got noodles, another got soup, and the last got food with a hole in it. They all looked in their books and decided the food was bad and didn’t eat it! The villagers laughed when they found out.

The friends left the village, and the villagers laughed and made fun of them the whole way. The story teaches us: Knowing lots of things doesn’t mean you’re smart. If you don’t use your knowledge wisely, people will laugh at you!