The story
Shri Rama's army of vanaras was building a bridge across the ocean to Lanka to rescue Sita. Mighty Nala and Nila and thousands of monkeys and bears carried huge rocks and threw them into the sea, writing "Rama" on each stone so that it would float.
A little squirrel watched them. "I want to help Rama too!" she thought. But she was so small — she could not lift even a pebble. So she ran into the sea, rolled in the sand on the shore, ran onto the bridge and shook the sand off between the stones. Again and again she did it.
Some of the monkeys laughed. "Out of the way, little one! What good is your bit of sand?" But Rama had seen. He gently picked up the squirrel and said, "Every bit of help given with love is precious. Her sand fills the gaps between your great rocks." Then he stroked her back lovingly with three fingers.
Tradition says that is why the Indian squirrel has three stripes on its back — the marks of Rama's fingers.
What we learn
- No help is too small when given with love.
- Do not laugh at others' efforts.
- God sees the heart, not the size of the gift.
A shloka to learn
Shri Ram Jai Ram
श्री राम जय राम जय जय राम ॥
śrī rāma jaya rāma jaya jaya rāma ||
Glory to Shri Rama — victory, victory to Rama!
Questions to talk about
- How did the squirrel help build the bridge?
- Why did Rama praise her?
- Where do the stripes on a squirrel's back come from, in this story?
- What small thing can you do to help someone today?
Parents and teachers: read the story aloud, then talk about the questions together. Let children retell it in their own words.
Frequently asked questions
Where does this story come from?
It is told in South Indian Ramayana tradition. This is a simple retelling for children.