Once upon a time there lived a greedy Brahman. One day he was walking to a neighboring village and saw a cage by the road, and a lion locked in it. The Brahman came closer, began to look at the lion, and he said to him:
- Brahman, you are kind, you feel sorry for everyone, you help everyone. Have pity on me, free me.
“No, if I let you out, you will eat me,” answered the brahman.
“I am a lion, and lions keep their word.” I swear that I won’t eat you, but will give you a lot of money and go home.
The brahman was happy when he heard about the money and opened the door of the cage. And the lion came out and said:
“You know, Brahman, I haven’t eaten for a long time and now, perhaps, I’ll eat you to satisfy my hunger.”
The brahmana was afraid.
“I took pity on you and rescued you,” he said. - After all, you promised that you wouldn’t eat me. It's not good for you to break your word.
“Man is a dishonest creature; he doesn’t care to break a promise.” Out of greed, he can commit any sin. And you are also a brahmana, everyone knows how greedy you brahmanas are. And you freed me only for the sake of money. Therefore, I will definitely eat you,” said the lion.
- But this is unfair! - cried the brahman. A skinny buffalo was grazing nearby.
“Okay,” said the lion. “Let’s go to the buffalo and let her judge us.”
They went to the buffalo and told her what was the matter.
The buffalo said:
- Man is a greedy creature. While I was giving milk, the owner fed me, but now I have no milk, so they took me here to the forest and left me alone. There is no need to feel sorry for a person. Eat it, lion!
“The buffalo is stupid,” said the Brahman. - Let's go and ask someone else.
They went to the horse and asked him to judge them.
“You shouldn’t feel sorry for the man,” said the horse.
While I was strong and strong, they put heavy loads on me and rode me on horseback. Now I am old, and the owner has stopped feeding me. I wander through the forests and take care of my own food. Therefore, O lion, eat this brahmana.
“The horse doesn’t know anything about our business,” said the Brahman. “We need to go to someone smarter.”
They went to the bull. The bull was strong and well-fed. The Brahman says to him:
- How kind your master is! He feeds you fresh grass and grain every day and doesn’t let you lose weight. Judge us: I freed this lion from his cage, and now he wants to eat me. Really, people don't do that?
“It is difficult to find a more treacherous creature than a man,” answered the bull. “I plow my master’s field, pull his cart, so he waters and feeds me.” And when I get old, he will leave me to starve to death. You should not show compassion to a person. And if you, lion, eat a brahman, it will be quite fair.
After these words, the lion finished off the Brahman with one blow and ate him.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru