सांप की सीख

Summary

A man was traveling from his village to the city. Passing through a dense forest, he stopped to rest under a banyan tree. He saw a snake emerge from an anthill with a shining jewel in its mouth. The snake placed the jewel on the ground and returned to the anthill. The snake repeated this, bringing out five jewels one by one. The man, though frightened, eventually gathered courage, wrapped the jewels in his cloth, and headed home. Since his village was far, he decided to stay overnight at an acquaintance's house. There, he was fed and given a place to sleep. Unable to sleep due to fear of theft, he hid the jewels in a pot of bitter oil in the veranda. Later that night, the acquaintance's wife gave birth to a daughter. The grandmother, needing oil, discovered the jewels in the pot. Believing the newborn was auspicious, she took the jewels. The next morning, the man found the pot empty. Distraught, he returned to the banyan tree and wept. The snake emerged again with a single jewel. The man waited for more, but none came. A voice from the anthill said, "Fool, why do you mourn? Those jewels were not yours. They belonged to the girl born last night. I was indebted to her from a past life and sent them through you. You were merely a messenger. Take this one jewel as a reward for your effort. Earn your own wealth through hard work; that alone brings contentment." The text then discusses forgiveness, contrasting decisive forgiveness with emotional forgiveness, and emphasizes the principle of equanimity and friendship towards all beings.