In a certain town, there lived a merchant’s son by the name of Jveernadhana. Because he had lost his money, he made up his mind to leave that part of the country and go somewhere else. Now in his house, the merchant’s son had a very heavy iron balance that he had inherited from his forefathers. He deposited this with another merchant and then left for a different part of the country.

When he had travelled all over the country to his heart’s content, the merchant returned to his own town, went to the other merchant’s house, and said, “Ho! Friend! Please return the balance that I deposited with you.”

‘But brother,’said his friend, ‘I no longer have it. The rats have eaten it up.’

The merchant said ‘If that’s the case, then it is not your fault. Life is like that. Nothing lasts forever.

Anyway, I am going to the river for a bath. Please let your son come with me to carry the things and look after them.’

Now his friend was afraid that the bath things might be stolen, so he said to his son, ‘My son! Here is your uncle.

He is going to the river for a bath. Go along with him and carry the things that he needs!’

And so his friend’s son gladly accompanied the merchant to the river ad carried his bath things. When he had taken his bath, the merchant caught hold of his friend’s son and threw him into a cave near the riverbank. He then closed the entrance with a big rock and returned quickly to his friend’s house. When his friend saw him coming back alone, he cried, ‘Where is my son who went with you to the river?’

‘I am very sorry’, said the merchant, ‘but as he was standing on the banks of the river, a flamingo swept down, picked him up and flew off with him.’

‘You liar!’ said his friend. ‘How could a flamingo fly off with a child! Return my son immediately to me or I shall complain against you in the royal court.’

‘Speaker of truth yourself’, retorted the merchant, ‘just as a flamingo cannot fly off with a child, so too rats can’t eat away a heavy iron balance.

Give me back my balance and I’ll return your son.’ Quarrelling like this, they went to the royal court. The merchant’s friend began to shout, ‘It’s disgraceful. This rascal has kidnapped my son!’

‘Return his son to him’, said the judges to the merchant.

‘What can I do? The merchant replied.

‘While the child was standing on the riverbank, a flamingo swept down, picked him up and flew off with him’.

‘You are not telling the truth!’ said the judges. ‘How could a flamingo ever fly off with a child?’

‘Please listen!’ said the merchant ‘Where rats can eat away a heavy iron balance, undoubtedly a flamingo can fly off with a child!’

‘What do you mean?’ asked the judges.

And the merchant told them the whole story from beginning to end, and the judges burst out laughing. In due course they were reconciled. The merchant got back his balance and the other merchant his son. The judges were happy.

❖ Tit for tat’ is the best policy in life.

❖ Never try to deceive a friend.