As soon as Nala and Neela laid the plan, all the monkeys began building the bridge. Rama, Laxman and Sugreeva watched them happily. Just then, Rama saw a squirrel which was watching everything from its burrow. It was happy at the sight of Lord Rama and his brother Laxman. It decided to help Rama in the divine job of rescuing Sita and killing Ravana. It began picking up sand and scattered twigs and scurried back and forth from the shore to the sea. Little by little the squirrel had gathered an entire heap. Then chanting Lord Rama’s name, it rolled over the heap of sand and ran to the end of the bridge to shake off the sand from its back. Rama was pleased at the dedication of this tiny creature. He lovingly picked it up on his palm and caressed it by warmly stroking its back with his three fingers. The squirrel received three lines on its back. It was pleased with this beautiful gift of Rama. Since then, squirrels have three lines on their bodies. These stripes on the backs of Indian squirrels are believed to be the mark of Lord Rama’s fingers.
RAMA AND THE SQUIRREL
