Years ago, there lived a woodcutter named Kusum in a town. Every day, he would go to the forest to cut wood, sell it, and use the money to buy food for himself. This routine continued for years. One day, the woodcutter climbed a tree near a riverbank in the jungle to cut its branches. While cutting the wood, his axe accidentally fell into the river.
Quickly, the woodcutter descended from the tree and began searching for his axe. He thought that the axe must have fallen near the riverbank, and he would find it by searching around. In reality, the axe had fallen directly into the river, which was deep and had a swift current.
For half an hour, the woodcutter tirelessly searched for his axe, but when he couldn’t find it, he began to believe that he would never get his axe back. Saddened by this thought and realizing he didn’t have enough money to buy a new one, he sat by the riverside and started crying. The cries of the woodcutter reached the river deity.
Curious, the river deity appeared and asked, “Why are you crying so much? Have you lost something in this river?” Hearing the river deity’s question, the woodcutter narrated the story of his lost axe, believing it was now irretrievable in the river’s depths.
The river deity, after hearing the woodcutter’s story, offered to help him find the axe. He dove into the river. After some time, the river deity emerged without the axe. The woodcutter looked disappointed, but the river deity assured him not to worry. Soon after, the river deity disappeared again.
After a while, the river deity reappeared, holding a silver axe in his hands. Seeing the silver axe, the woodcutter smiled and said, “This is not my axe; it belongs to someone wealthy. I need my iron axe. Please help me find it.” The woodcutter’s honesty impressed the river deity, who vanished again.
This time, when the river deity returned, he had a golden axe. The deity offered the golden axe to the woodcutter. However, the woodcutter remained honest and said, “This is not my axe either. It must belong to a rich person. I only need my iron axe. Please try again.”
The river deity was touched by the woodcutter’s integrity. After disappearing once more, he returned with the woodcutter’s iron axe. Overjoyed, the woodcutter expressed his gratitude. The river deity was impressed by the woodcutter’s honesty and said, “I am pleased with your honesty. Keep your iron axe and, as a reward for your integrity, also accept the silver and golden axes. May they serve you well.”
The woodcutter thanked the river deity and happily left with all three axes, learning that honesty is a priceless treasure.
Moral of the Story:
Honesty is a treasure greater than any material wealth.
