A TIGER AND A GREEDY MAN
Long ago, there was an old tiger living in the forest called Maha Aranya. One day after taking bath, the tiger sat on the bank of a particular pond with a golden bracelet and Dharbha (grass) in its hand. On seeing the people going by that way, it told thus: Oh! The travellers! Please take this golden bracelet. On hearing and looking at the bracelet, a greedy traveller thought that his good fortune is inviting him. But it is to be examined! Because though it is Ambrosia, when is mixed with poison, it leads to death only.
Then he decided to ask thus: Where is your bracelet? The old tiger showed by stretching its hand. Then the traveller asked thus: How can I believe you, you kill others? The old tiger replied thus: Oh! The traveller! Listen. I was so ill-behaved in my young age. I have lost my wife and children because I have killed many animals and human beings. Now I am bereft my race. Then, I was advised by a righteous person to do some virtual deeds.
Why don’t you believe me? I become aged, lost nails and teeth and took holy bath as advised by that sage? Though I am ready to give my gold bracelet to someone, I am unable to erase the thought of people that tiger kills and eats the human beings.
You are so poor. I will give it to you. You may get it from me after having taken the bath in this pond. When that greedy man believed its words and started to take bath in that pond, then he got stuck in the mire and unable to get up from it.
On seeing him who got stuck in the mire, the aged tiger told thus: Hey! You have fallen and stuck in the mire. I will lift you from it. By telling so, slowly the aged tiger caught him.
Then that greedy man thought that though I knew that the tiger always kill others but out of greediness I believed the words of this ferocious one. When he was thinking so, he was killed and eaten by the old tiger.
Moral of the story:-
"Kankanasya thu lobena Magnaf panke sudustare l
Vruddha vyaaghrena sampraapthah pathikas sa mrutho yathaa ll"
A greedy traveler in want of the golden bracelet, stuck in the mire and killed by the tiger. Greediness leads to disaster.
(This story is taken from the titled Mitralabhah the 1st volume of the book Hitopadesa which has four volumes viz., Mitralaabhah, Suhrudbedhah, Vigrahah and Sandhi written by Narayana Pandita who lived in later part of the 14th Century A.D.)
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