Long ago, in a city named Himmat Nagar, two close friends named Dharmabuddhi and Papabuddhi resided. One day, an idea struck Papabuddhi that they should venture to another city to earn some money. Gradually, he schemed to deceive Dharmabuddhi and take away all the money they had collected. To accomplish this, he dissuaded Dharmabuddhi from returning to their hometown.
Taking a considerable amount of merchandise, both of them reached another city. For a few months, they stayed there and sold their goods at a good price. Once they amassed a significant amount, they decided to return to their city. Papabuddhi took Dharmabuddhi through a jungle route.
During their journey, Papabuddhi expressed concern about the possible problems they might encounter if they carried all their wealth back home. He proposed hiding half of the money in the nearby forest, fearing theft, jealousy, or people asking for loans back home.
Trusting Papabuddhi’s words, Dharmabuddhi agreed to hide the money. Papabuddhi dug a hole and hid the money near a tree in the jungle. A few days later, without informing Dharmabuddhi, Papabuddhi returned alone to the forest and retrieved all the money.
As time passed, Dharmabuddhi faced a situation where he urgently needed money. He went directly to Papabuddhi and requested to bring back the money they had hidden in the jungle.
Papabuddhi agreed, and they both headed towards the forest. When Dharmabuddhi dug up the spot where the money was hidden, to his shock, he found it empty. On being accused of theft, Papabuddhi began creating a scene and blamed Dharmabuddhi for stealing the money.
The judge decided to test the truth through divine intervention. Both friends were ordered to put their hands into fire to determine who was telling the truth. Papabuddhi, being clever, hid behind a dry tree nearby. When the judge asked the forest deity who had committed the theft, a voice emerged from the direction of the tree, blaming Dharmabuddhi. Hearing this, Dharmabuddhi set the tree on fire, and Papabuddhi, trapped inside, confessed to the theft. The truth was revealed, and Papabuddhi was sentenced to death, while Dharmabuddhi was given back his money.
Lesson from the story: Those who harbor ill thoughts for others usually end up with an ill fate themselves.
