Once on a time when Brahmadatta was king of Benares, a festival was proclaimed in the city; and at the first summoning notes of the festal drum out poured the townsfolk to keep holiday.

Now in those days, a tribe of monkeys was living in the king’s garden; and the king’s gardener thought to himself, “Festival is celebrated in the city. I’ll get the monkeys to do the watering for me, and go to enjoy myself with the rest.” So saying, he went to the king of the monkeys, and said,”I am going to city for celebration. Couldn’t you water the young trees while I’m away?”

“Oh! Yes,” said the monkey.

The monkey king ordered the monkeys,“Do not waste water. Pour water according to the size of the root. First pull each young tree up and look at the size of its roots. Then give plenty of water to those whose roots strike deep but only a little to those with tiny roots.”

The monkeys said.”We will do accordingly.” At this juncture a wise man, seeing the monkeys thus engaged, asked them why they pulled up tree after tree and watered them according to the size of their roots.

“Because such are our king’s commands,” answered the monkeys.

Their reply moved the wise man to reflect how, with every desire to do good, the ignorant and foolish only succeed in doing harm.

With this rebuke to the king of the monkeys, the wise man departed with his followers from the garden.