Once upon a time there was an astrologer. In the area where he lived, there was a severe drought one year, and there was no rain. The earth dried out so much that people could not plant rice in the fields. The sky should have long since become cloudy and damp, but the sun still burned mercilessly. Fear gripped the farmers. Then the astrologer put a board in front of him, sprinkled sand on top of it and drew the location of the stars and constellations. He tried to determine the time when it would finally rain.
The astrologer wondered and calculated for a long time until he realized that it would rain today. He immediately put down his board, took the hoe in his hands and went into the field. The astrologer was hoeing his field, and the king of the gods, Indra, turned into a man and descended to earth - he decided to find out how people live. Indra is watching, the astrologer is working hard in the field.
- What are you doing here? - asks.
“Yes, I’m loosening the ground, I want to plant rice seedlings,” answered the astrologer.
- Why are you in such a hurry? When the sky becomes cloudy... - said Indra.
“And I’m an astrologer, and that’s why I know when it’s going to rain.” I calculated that it’s tonight, so I’m in a hurry so as not to miss the time.
- Look, what an expert you are! It won't rain today! - Indra became furious and immediately returned to heaven.
“All the water belongs to me,” he thought, “and some pathetic man who calls himself an astrologer decides when it will rain. Let’s see how he plants rice if I don’t send rain to the earth. But I’ll take it and order that all the water be hidden in my underground palace!”
Indra immediately called his servants and ordered them to drag all the water into the palace, so that not a single drop would spill on the ground. Indra’s servants began to carry water in large buckets, but accidentally knocked over one bucket and water poured onto the ground.
Then the astrologer planted rice in his field...
No matter how much Indra wanted to gain the upper hand, the man turned out to be right.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru