Panchatantra

Brahmin and Thief

There lived a poor Brahmin in a village. He was so poor that he could not even arrange two square meals in a day. There was a rich merchant who lived in the same village. The merchant was moved by the Brahmin’s plight. The merchant gifted two calves to the Brahmin. The Brahmin raised the calves with great care. After the passage of some years, the calves became strong bullocks. The Brahmin used those bullocks to plough his land. Very soon, the Brahmin was able to have enough grains to meet his needs. His family was in a better position now.

Thief comes

brahmin

Meanwhile, a thief had set his eyes on the bullocks. The thief made an elaborate plan to steal the bullocks from the Brahmin. There was a monster living in the crematorium near the village. The monster had also set his prying eyes on the bullock. The monster wanted to feast on the bullocks. When the night came, the thief started in his pursuit. When he reached the Brahmin’s house; he could see that the monster was already there. They began arguing about who had the rightful claim on the bullocks.

Thief Fled Away

ghost

The thief was also worried that their noisy quarrel would awaken the Brahmin. The monster was worried that if bullocks got scared they would awaken the Brahmin. But none of them was ready to share one bullock each. A ruckus was created at the scene and this disrupted the Brahmin’s sleep.

When the Brahmin got up; he could see the monster and the thief fighting with each other. The Brahmin began to chant some sacred mantras. The effect of the mantras was so powerful that the monster got scared and fled from the scene. The thief thought that if the Brahmin could outwit a monster then what would happen to a human being. The thief also fled from the scene.

The moral of the story is: "When two people quarrel, the third person gets the benefit."