Once there lived a sage in a village. His name was Dev
Sharma. He was known widely for his wisdom and people paid him homage seeking
his blessings. They offered him food, money, clothes and other things in kind.
The sage kept what he needed and sold what was not required. Gradually he grew
rich.
The sage never trusted anyone. He kept all the money in small
bag, which he always carried under his arm.
One day, a thief saw the sage. He observed how carefully the
sage carried the bag and grew suspicious if bag had treasure.So he decided to
steal the bag. He planned to approach the sage and plead him to accept him as
his disciple and win his trust.
So next day, the thief went to sage with reverence and
pleaded, 'I am wrecked and seek peace. Enlighten me. I plead you to take me as
your disciple and guide me towards the right path'.
The sage modestly replied, 'I will guide you. But I can take
you as my disciple one condition-you have to stay in the hut near the temple at
night. You cannot enter the temple at night, as during this time I mediate'.
The thief agreed with the sage and thanked him. The sage
conducted rites and formally took him as his disciple.
The discourse began. The thief helped the sage in many ways
such as temple cleaning, fetching water, performing rituals, etc; to gain the
sage's trust. The sage was happy with the thief, however he left his bag.
Months passed by and the thief who had been looking for a
chance got frustrated as the sage never parted from his bag. He thought of
seizing it by killing the sage. While he was thinking, a young boy came to the
sage and said, 'O holy man, I bow before you. I have come to ask for your holy
presence in the sacred thread ceremony to be held in our hone. Kindly accept
it'.
The sage humbly accepted the invitation and began his journey
to reach the village with the thief.
The weather was dry and humid. After hours of walking, when
they came across a river, the sage thought of relieving himself. So he folded
the bag in his robe and asked the thief to watch it until he returned.
The thief was happy to see the opportunity come his way so
easily. He humbly agreed to watch the bag. After the sage left, the thief took
the bag and disappeared.
When the sage returned he found the robe lying around. His
disciple had disappeared with the money bag. Seeing this, the sage was shocked
and angry. He felt helpless and cheated.
He followed the thief's footprints but lost way in the
forest. He returned to the temple next day empty handed and wrecked.
Moral: Never trust anyone blindly.
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