Panchatantra Lapwing Sea

tale:panchatantra_lapwing_sea

When the sea washes away the eggs a small lapwing laid too near the shore, the bird vows to dry up the whole ocean, carrying off the water beak by beak. The other birds, then mighty Garuda, are moved by such resolve to plead its cause, and the sea, fearing the gods, returns the eggs. Moral: unyielding resolve, however small, can move the vast. — Panchatantra (attrib. Vishnu Sharma)