In a village, there lived a poor merchant who resided with his donkey. The merchant’s house was a bit far from the market. Every day, he would load bags of goods on his donkey’s back and go to the market. The merchant was a very kind and compassionate person, and he took good care of his donkey. Although the donkey loved its owner, it had a problem – it was very lazy. It did not like working at all; it preferred eating and resting.
One day, the merchant learned that there was a high demand for salt in the market. On that day, he decided to sell salt. When the market day arrived, the merchant loaded four bags of salt on the donkey’s back and prepared to go to the market. Knowing about the donkey’s laziness,
 the merchant, upon the donkey’s refusal to move, gave it a couple of nudges, and the donkey started walking. The bags of salt were not very heavy, but the donkey’s legs
were trembling due to the weight, making it difficult for it to walk. Somehow, with the merchant nudging the donkey, they managed to cover half the distance.
There was a river between the merchant’s house and the market, and they had to cross it using a bridge. As the donkey climbed onto the bridge to cross the river and walked a little distance, its foot slipped, and it fell into the water.
Seeing the donkey fall into the river, the merchant became worried and hurriedly swam to rescue it. Somehow, the merchant managed to pull his donkey out of the river. When the donkey emerged from the water, the bags on its back had become significantly lighter as the salt had dissolved in the water. The merchant had to return home halfway due to this loss. Although the merchant suffered a considerable loss, he understood the lazy donkey’s strategy of avoiding going to the market.
The next day, when the merchant went to the market again, he decided to tie bags filled with cotton on the donkey’s back. As the bridge came into sight, the donkey intentionally slipped into the river. However, this time, with the bags filled with cotton, the weight increased instead of decreasing. The donkey couldn’t understand what had happened. This continued for the next two to three days. The merchant tied bags filled with cotton on the donkey’s back, and every time the donkey fell into the river, the weight increased. Eventually, the donkey gave up.
The donkey had learned its lesson. From then on, whenever the merchant and the donkey went to the market, the donkey crossed the river quietly. This eventful experience taught the lazy donkey not to play tricks, and gradually, the merchant’s losses were compensated.
From this story, children, we learn that we should never show laziness in performing our duties. Additionally, like the merchant, by using proper understanding and wisdom, any task can be done easily.
