No one will remember when it happened, but this story happened at the foot of an ancient mountain. Only two people lived there, one was very rich, and his name was Tenzin, the second was poor and responded to the name Purbu. Phurbu chopped wood every day and thereby earned his living by selling it.
When he went to the mountain, he always took a few barley cakes with him for lunch - to gain strength and chop more firewood.
No one lived on the mountain, but an image of a lion was carved on its stone slope. No one knew where it came from or by whose hand it was created. Every day, after collecting a bundle of firewood, Purbu sat down near the stone lion to eat his lunch. And each time he brought a piece of flatbread to the mouth of the stone lion with the words:
- Please, my brother Leo, try a little!
And he put food in the lion's mouth. This went on day after day, month after month, year after year.
One day, Purbu, as usual, gave the stone lion some food, but as soon as he finished his speech, the beast opened its mouth and said:
- Thank you, brother Purbu. You really have a good heart. Although you yourself lack, you are always ready to share with me. How can I thank you?
When the lion spoke, Purbu was speechless with amazement. And only after realizing that he did not want to harm him, he breathed freely again. And then he had a conversation with the lion:
- Brother Lev, we suffered the same fate. There is no one to take care of you either, and we are both grieving alone. So how can I not share with you what little I have? And what a shame that I am so poor. I will never be able to satisfy your hunger.
-You are truly an honest person. Please come here early tomorrow morning, before the sun rises, and bring a bag with you, I want to do you a favor,” said the stone lion.
Purbu agreed and went home with his firewood. The next day, before dawn, Purbu went, as usual, to the mountain with his ax and a modest bundle of lunch. He stopped in front of the stone lion, and it greeted him with the words:
- So, you came.
“Of course,” answered Purbu, only then remembering what the stone lion had told him the day before.
“Put your hand in my mouth when I open it, and you will find gold there.”
Please take as much as will fit in your bag. But remember: you need to take your hand out before sunrise, because then I will close my mouth.
“Okay,” Purba assured the lion.
As soon as the stone lion opened its mouth, Purbu rolled up his sleeves and put his hand inside. And, of course, there was gold there. Soon the lunch bag was full.
- Brother Lev, I am so grateful to you! - said Purbu.
Lev replied that he could have taken more if the bag were not so small. Purbu showed the lion his pouch and said that this would last him for the rest of his life. At that moment the sun rose. The stone lion closed its mouth and became motionless again. Then Purbu continued chopping wood and, having gathered a bundle, went home, rejoicing at his unexpected wealth.
With this gold, Purbu bought food, good clothes and furnished a house with a yard. In addition, he married an efficient girl. Now he no longer had anything to worry about.
The rich man Tenzin could not help but notice that Purbu became rich overnight.
He said to himself:
“This unfortunate man didn’t even have a hair off his old donkey skin, and now he has herds and a big house with a cellar full of food.” How did he get all this - by deception? Or maybe he robbed someone?
In any case, he had to find out everything. Tenzin decided to casually visit Purba, as if just to greet him. To begin with
he said many flattering words to him, and then asked Purba how he managed to get rich?
Phurbu was a simple man and very naive, so he told Tenzin everything in detail. When he heard the story of his neighbor's wealth, he was overcome by black envy. He could barely contain himself. Letting out a heavy sigh, he said:
“I have never had such luck.” Why am I unlucky?
Tenzin was deep in thought about how he could use this opportunity to become fabulously rich. He asked Purbu many questions: where exactly can one find a lion, how to feed it, how to chop wood
and even when it is better to go up the mountain and go down. He returned home only when he decided that he now knew everything.
That night Tenzin did not sleep a wink. The next day he put on his worn clothes and, taking an axe, a rope and a bag of barley cakes, set off up the mountain before dawn.
Every day from that day on, Tenzin went to the mountain, shared his food with the stone lion and tried to make him talk. Many days passed, but the stone lion did not open its mouth. Tenzin was starting to get impatient. He was tormented by thoughts about whether he had become a victim of deception, or maybe he had not given the lion enough food? But gold beckoned to Tenzin, and he endured. Finally, the long-awaited moment has arrived. One day the stone lion spoke to him:
- Friend, you feed me every day. This time is the last time I will bother you like this. Tenzin was overjoyed to hear the lion, but said:
- It’s okay, I don’t mind, although my family is very poor.
- Don't worry. Bring a bag with you tomorrow and I’ll give you something,” the stone lion continued.
Hearing the last phrase, Tenzin lost his head with happiness and agreed without hesitation. The next day he got up very early and went to the lion, taking with him a huge bag. The lion warned him that he needed to extend his hand outward before the sun rose.
- Of course, of course! - Tenzin nodded impatiently and asked the lion to quickly open his mouth. When the lion opened its mouth, Tenzin began to pull out one handful of gold after another.
“My friend, you already have plenty of gold.” The sun is rising! - the lion reminded him.
Continuing to pour gold into the bag, Tenzin announced that a couple more handfuls and it would be full. But the bag turned out to be too big, and there was still room in it.
And again the lion warned Tenzin, but he did not even think about stopping. When he put his hand into the lion's mouth for the last time, the sun broke out in the east. It shot up and hung over the tops of the mountains, sending rays in all directions and coloring everything red. The stone lion closed its mouth.
Tenzin could not stretch out his hand, and he had no choice but to cry bitterly:
- Hand! My hand!
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru