Tuesday, December 9, 2014

13. Hitopadesha - The Washerman's Donkey who Brayed

Once upon a time, in a far off village; there lived a Washerman. The washerman had two pets- a donkey and a dog. While the donkey helped the washerman to carry clothes, the dog used guarded his house.

The pets slept in the backyard of house and lead life serving their master.

One night a thief broke into the house. The dog woke up and saw the thief but did not barked to alert the washerman's family. The donkey also saw the thief and asked the dog, "It is your duty to guard the house. You saw the thief entering the house. Why didn’t you bark to alert the master?"

The dog replied, "You better keep to your business. I have been guarding this house for years but the master doesn’t care about me nor does he appreciates me. He had not been feeding me properly. Let the thief take away his valuables, only then he will understand my importance."

The donkey cautioned and advised the dog, "It is not the right time to complain. You should alert the master before thief leaves the house with valuables." However, the dog refused to do so.

The donkey told the dog that he is ignoring his duty and betraying his master. So the donkey decided to wake up the master and brayed loudly as he could. The thief ran away. When the washerman woke up, he found no one around. He got annoyed with the donkey and beat him very badly.

The donkey suffered for months with the pain.

Moral: One should mind own business.

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