It was a long time ago. There lived an old peasant in a village. Once he sowed turnips in his field, and his field was located next to the landowner’s house. One evening, the landowner released a herd of sheep and pigs into the peasant's field. The sheep ate the tender green turnip leaves, and the pigs dug up the ground and gnawed the roots.
God knows by what miracle a single sprout survived on the field. The poor peasant began to carefully look after him. Every day he generously watered it and fertilized the soil once a week.
Winter has come. It was frosty. But it never occurred to the peasant to go dig up turnips. Finally, when spring came, he dug it out. The turnip grew amazingly big. It was so huge that ten people could easily sit at it, like at a table!
It happened that the judge of that district was passing through the village with his retinue. The palanquin in which he reclined was carried by eight people. When the judge saw the turnips lying in the peasant’s yard, his face showed the greatest amazement.
- Amazing! - he exclaimed, without taking his eyes off the huge turnip.
- Marvelous! – the retinue chorused.
– Truly this is some kind of miracle! - the landowner who arrived in time joined them.
– You must send this miracle to our Maharaja! - the judge turned to the old peasant.
“Does your honor think I should give the turnips?” – he objected dissatisfied. “What am I going to eat?”
- How?! Is this redneck going to eat this wonderful huge turnip? Don't you dare even think about it! Hurry up and offer the turnips to the Maharaja, otherwise I will do it for you!
And the judge wrote a message to the Maharaja:
“My lord!
Thanks to your mercy, under the shadow of law and justice, turnips of unprecedented proportions have grown in your state. Not one of your subjects is worthy to possess this miracle. Therefore, tell the man who grew the turnip to present it to Your Grace.”
Having read the judge's message, the Maharaja was very flattered, although he did not quite understand what he would do with such a huge turnip. But he still accepted the gift. The judge was promoted, and the old peasant was presented with jewelry. The Maharaja's servants took the turnip from him and retired to the palace. And the old peasant looked with bitterness at the jewelry lying in his palm. He could not eat them and sell them either. After all, it was a gift from the Maharaja!
But the landowner was immersed in thoughts of a different kind.
“What a lucky man this old man is!” he thought. “He received such enormous wealth for some turnip!” Oh, if only I could present the Maharaja with some strange thing!”
Neither day nor night did he know peace from his heavy thoughts; he was so distressed that he even fell ill and almost died.
But suddenly a happy thought struck him. He went to the judge, who had become an even more important and famous man in their district, gave him money and asked him to write a letter on his behalf to the Maharaja.
When the Maharaja read this new message, he remembered the turnip and thought that he had accepted such a gift in vain. What are the benefits of turnips? It just takes up extra space!
And the Maharaja decided that they wanted to trick him this time too.
When the landowner appeared before his master, he asked him sternly:
- Well, tell me, what did you come to me with?
“Oh, my lord, I have brought my daughter as a gift to your honor,” said the landowner, bowing in respect.
The Maharaja was delighted at the sight of the lovely young girl, who was crying, clinging to her father. He ordered that she be immediately escorted to the women's half of the palace.
- And I will give you an expensive and rare thing. “She has no price,” he told the landowner.
And before he could guess what reward awaited him, the servants brought a huge turnip and placed it in front of the landowner. How could he show even the slightest dissatisfaction! He had to take the turnips with him. Returning home, he threw it into the yard.
When the old peasant learned that his turnips were rotting in the landowner's yard, he exclaimed:
- Oh, how stupid are all these rajas, maharajas and landowners! They don’t even know what turnips are good for!
And he began to work even harder in his field.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru