Once, there lived a Brahmin named Drona in a village who was very poor. He did not have good clothes to wear nor enough food to eat. The Brahmin survived by begging for alms. Observing his poverty, a landlord felt compassion for him. He decided to donate a pair of oxen to Drona.
Considering the oxen as his wealth, the Brahmin Drona began serving them devotedly. He loved the oxen so much that he ate less himself but ensured the oxen were well-fed. With the Brahmin’s diligent care, the oxen became healthy.
One day, a thief noticed the oxen while they were grazing. Upon seeing the oxen, the thief formulated a plan to steal them. Planning his move, the thief left during the night to steal the oxen from the Brahmin’s house.
While on his way, the thief encountered a fierce demon. The demon asked the thief, “Where are you going at this late hour?” The thief replied, “I am going to steal the Brahmin’s oxen.” The demon responded, “Let me accompany you. I have been hungry for many days. I will eat the Brahmin, and you can take the oxen.”
The thief thought that having a companion on the way would not be a bad idea, so he agreed. Taking the demon with him, the thief reached the Brahmin’s house.
Upon reaching the Brahmin’s house, the demon said, “First, I will eat the Brahmin, then you can steal the oxen.” The thief said, “No, I will steal the oxen first, and then you can eat the Brahmin. If your attack awakens the Brahmin, I won’t be able to steal the oxen.”
Then, the demon said, “When you open the oxen’s enclosure, the Brahmin might wake up from their sound and defend himself. I will remain hungry in this scenario.”
Both the demon and the thief kept arguing. Neither was ready to agree to the other’s suggestion. Meanwhile, hearing the voices of the demon and the thief, the Brahmin woke up. Upon waking up, the Brahmin quickly grabbed a stick and drove both of them away, saving his oxen.
From the story, the lesson learned is that one should always act according to the situation, just as the Brahmin did in this story. After hearing the thief and the demon, he promptly picked up a stick for self-defense, which was absolutely appropriate in that situation.
