The Honest Woodcutter
Once upon a time, in a small village near a dense forest, lived a poor but hardworking woodcutter named Ramesh. Every day, he would venture deep into the forest to chop wood and sell it in the market to earn a living. Though he had very little, he was always honest and content with what he had.
One day, as Ramesh was chopping wood near a river, his axe slipped from his hands and fell into the deep water. He was devastated, as the axe was his only means of earning a livelihood. Worried and helpless, he sat by the riverbank, lamenting his loss. Seeing his distress, the river god appeared before him.
"Why are you so sad, dear woodcutter?" asked the river god.
Ramesh humbly replied, "O divine one, my only axe has fallen into the river, and without it, I cannot work to earn my daily bread."
Moved by his honesty and sincerity, the river god smiled and said, "Do not worry. I will help you." He dived into the river and reappeared holding a gleaming golden axe. "Is this your axe?" he asked.
Ramesh looked at the golden axe and shook his head. "No, O divine one, that is not mine. My axe was a simple iron one."
The river god nodded and disappeared into the river once more. Moments later, he surfaced with a silver axe. "Is this your axe?" he asked again.
Ramesh again shook his head. "No, O divine one. This is not mine either. My axe was made of iron, plain and old."
The river god smiled at his honesty and once more went into the river. This time, he came back with an old, worn-out iron axe. "Is this your axe?" he asked.
Ramesh's eyes lit up with joy. "Yes! This is my axe! Thank you so much, O divine one!"
The river god was pleased with Ramesh's honesty and said, "Your honesty deserves a reward. You could have easily claimed the gold or silver axe, but you chose to speak the truth. As a token of my appreciation, I will give you all three axes."
Ramesh was overwhelmed with gratitude. He bowed respectfully and accepted the axes. He returned to the village and shared his story with everyone. The villagers admired his honesty and celebrated his good fortune.
However, a greedy woodcutter who lived in the same village heard the story and devised a plan to obtain gold and silver axes for himself. The next day, he deliberately dropped his axe into the river and pretended to be in distress.
As expected, the river god appeared and asked him why he was sad. The greedy woodcutter replied, "O divine one, my axe has fallen into the river. Please help me retrieve it."
The river god dived into the water and returned with a golden axe. "Is this your axe?" he asked.
The greedy woodcutter's eyes gleamed with excitement. Forgetting honesty, he quickly replied, "Yes! Yes! That is my axe!"
The river god frowned and said, "You are lying. This is not your axe." Displeased with the man’s dishonesty, the river god disappeared into the river, taking the golden axe with him. The greedy woodcutter waited, but the river god did not return. Not only did he fail to receive the golden and silver axes, but he also lost his own axe forever.
Disheartened and regretful, he walked back to the village with empty hands, realizing his mistake.
Moral:
Honesty is always rewarded, while greed and dishonesty lead to loss and regret.
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