Blind Men and Elephant

Once upon a time, there was a king who, wishing to amuse himself, ordered the royal elephant to be brought before him. He ordered some blind men, blind from birth, to be brought near the elephant.
He then asked these blind men to touch the elephant and describe what the elephant was like. The man who touched the tail said that the elephant was like a broom. The one who touched a leg said that it was like tree. The one who touched the body said it was like a wall. The one who touched the ear said the elephant was like a winnowing fan. Thus each described the elephant differently, but each was sure that his own version was the true description of the elephant. They did not realize that each one touched only a part of the elephant. Each blind person had only a one-sided or unilateral view of the elephant. Not knowing the whole truth, they started arguing with each other, each sticking to his own point of view. The argument ended up in quarreling and fighting. The king and his ministers rolled in laughter as the blind men continued to quarrel with each other.

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