After the battle on the field of Kurukshetra, the five Pandava brothers performed a great sacrifice and brought very large gifts for the poor. Everyone expressed amazement at the size and wealth of the sacrifice, saying that the world had never seen anything like it. But after the ceremony was completed, a small mongoose appeared - an animal like a cat. Half of his body was golden, and the other half was dark. He began to roll on the floor in the sacrificial hall and said to those present:
- You are all lying: this is not a victim.
- Why do you say that this is not a victim? Do you know how much money and jewelry was given to the poor and how many people became rich and happy? This is the most amazing sacrifice that man has ever made.
But the mongoose said:
“In one village there lived a poor Brahman with his wife, son and daughter-in-law. They were very poor, living on the meager gifts they received for preaching and teaching. There was a famine in this country for three years, and the poor Brahman suffered more than ever. The family had been starving for several days when, finally, the father brought some flour, which he was lucky enough to get. And he divided it into four parts among family members. Before they could sit down to eat, someone knocked on the door. The father opened the door and there was a guest standing behind it. In India the guest is sacred; he is revered as a god and treated as such. Therefore the poor Brahmin said:
- Come in, sir, we welcome you.
He placed his portion of the food before the guest; the guest quickly ate it and said:
“Oh lord, you have killed me, I have been hungry for ten days, and this small amount of food only increased my hunger.”
Then the wife said to her husband:
- Give him my share.
But the husband replied:
- No, I won’t give it away.
The wife insisted, saying:
“He is a poor man, and it is our duty as hosts to make sure he is well fed.” Since you have nothing else, then it is my duty, as your wife, to give him my share.
And she gave her share to the guest. He ate what was given to him and said that he was still tormented by hunger. Then the son said:
- Take my part; the son is obliged to help his father in fulfilling his duty.
The guest ate this part too, but his hunger was not satisfied. Then the son’s wife gave him her share. The guest was satisfied and left, blessing them. That same night, these four people died of starvation.
A few specks of flour fell on the floor, and when I rolled on the floor, I became half golden, as you can see. Since then, I have been walking all over the world, hoping to find another such victim, but I have not found it anywhere, so the other half of my body does not turn into gold. That's why I say that your sacrifice is not a sacrifice.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru