A golden goose offers feathers one at a time to support a poor family. Afraid the gifts may stop, the mother wants them all at once.
Despite her daughters’ objections, she plucks the goose. The feathers become ordinary, and the recovered bird leaves.
Adapted from Ellen C. Babbitt, More Jataka Tales (1916), chapter V · Source text & illustration
Fables use imaginary events to invite reflection; interpretations vary.
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Ask when you do not know. Willingness to learn is part of kindness.