Wednesday, December 10, 2014

21. Hitopadesh - The Brahmin And The Goat

Long ago, in a small village there lived a Brahmin. The Brahmin used to offer prayers and perform various rituals.

One day the Brahmin went to the home of a wealthy merchant to perform holy rituals. The rich man gave the Brahmin clothes, sweets, some gold coins and a goat. The Brahmin was very happy. He slung the goat across his shoulder and began his journey back to home.

On the way, three sly men saw the Brahmin. They wanted to take away the boat from the Brahmin by fooling him. So they made a plan. The three men got separated and hide at different places on the way which the Brahmin would take for returning back home.

When the Brahmin came to a lonely place, one of the men came out and asked him “Sir why are you carrying this ugly dog on your shoulder? You are a holy person and should not do.” The Brahmin got angry and replied, “Don’t you see it is goat and not a dog. You are stupid.” The man said, “Apology sir. But I told you what I saw. I am sorry if you are unwilling to believe me.” The Brahmin was annoyed, but he ignored and started his journey again.

A mile ahead, the second man came out and asked the Brahmin, “Sir, why us a holy man like you carrying a dead calf on your shoulder?” The Brahmin was extremely angry and yelled, “How can a living goat appear to be a dead calf? But the second man slyly replied, “Sir, it’s a calf that you are carrying as I told you. You probably do not know how a goat looks like.” The man went away and the Brahmin continued on his way.

After some distance, the third man appeared and laughingly asked the Brahmin, “Sir, you are carrying a donkey on your shoulder? People will laugh on you”. Hearing this, the Brahmin became anxious. He started wondering if the he was carrying a goat or ghost that changed its appearances.

The Brahmin got extremely sacred. He threw the goat on the road believing that it was a ghost and ran away. The sly men caught hold of the goat for their feast and laughed back at the Brahmin.


Moral: Never get carried away by what others say.

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