Four Harmonious Friends

Four Harmonious Friends

This familiar Bhutanese motif, called Thunpa Punshi, has its origins in the Jataka tales of the Buddha’s previous lives. The parable is one of “honoring age�? and working cooperatively. It relates how four animal friends - an elephant, a monkey, a hare and a partridge - once lived beneath a great Banyan tree in the Himalayan foothills. They were discussing the tree and how to harvest its fruit.

The elephant related how the tree was a small when he was a baby.

The monkey said that it was a bush the size of his body when he was young.

The hare related how he had licked the dew off the leaves of the tree when it was a small shrub.

Finally the bird spoke telling of how he had one swallowed the original seed and how this mighty tree had actually sprouted from his droppings.

The partridge was honored as the eldest, senior in rank to the hare, monkey and elephant. Through their proper ranking and harmonious cooperation the fruit was obtained.

This symbol is displayed in the home to bring harmony and cooperation.