In the village of Sohanpur, there lived a woodcutter named Ram Lal. He earned his livelihood by collecting firewood from the nearby jungle and selling it for some money. This was how he sustained himself.
After a few days, Ram Lal got married. His wife was quite extravagant, and sustaining the household with the income from selling firewood near the village became difficult. Ram Lal’s wife frequently asked him for money, whether it was to buy new clothes or for other things. If the money was not given, she would become upset.
Ram Lal loved his wife dearly, and he couldn’t bear to see her upset. To fulfill his wife’s wishes, he decided to gather more firewood to sell, ensuring that she wouldn’t face financial difficulties.
To fulfill his wife’s desires, Ram Lal went deep into the dense jungle and collected a large quantity of firewood. He sold them in the market and earned a good amount of money. Now, he began doing this regularly.
As the money increased, Ram Lal’s greed grew as well. He started cutting down trees slowly. More wood meant more money, and he used the extra income to fulfill his wife’s desires. Soon, he developed a habit of playing gambling to increase his wealth.
Ram Lal lost a significant amount of money in gambling. To repay the debt, he decided to cut down a couple of big trees. As he tried to chop a large tree, a branch attacked him. The branch wrapped around him, and another branch caught him.
Ram Lal was bewildered and couldn’t understand what was happening. Then, a voice came from the tree, “Fool, you are cutting me down for your greed. We, the trees, provide you with air, shade in the sun, and fruits to satisfy your hunger. Yet, you are cutting us down just for your selfish desires.”
“You know how precious trees are. Inside us resides life, and we trees provide you humans with the air to breathe, shade, and fruits to satisfy your hunger. But, for your selfish desires, you are cutting us down,” said the tree. “Today, I will stop you. I will control this axe and use it against you.”
The tree’s branch wielding the axe was about to strike Ram Lal when he began to sob. Apologizing, he said, “I have made a mistake. Give me a chance to rectify it. If you punish me, what will happen to my wife? She will be left alone. I promise I will not cut down any more trees. From today, I take a vow not to cut any tree.”
Hearing this, the tree felt compassion for Ram Lal. It released him, and he ran back home. Realizing his mistake, Ram Lal swore off cutting trees for the sake of his wife’s desires.
Lesson from the story: One should not harm the environment out of greed. Trees provide us with oxygen, and by cutting them down, we disrupt the balance in our lives.
