Long ago, there was a village near the large city of Benares in ancient India. And in this village, there lived an ascetic whom everybody thought was very saintly. He wore a coarse cloth and his long, matted hair was tied into a knot on the top of his head.
The Village Chief built a little house for the ascetic at the edge of the forest next to the village. The Chief also gave the daily alms and provided the ascetic with all he needed.
Gold coins
The Village Chief was a collector of gold coins and over the years had amassed a hoard of thousand gold coins. He wanted to keep it safe and so, took it the ascetic’s house and buried it beneath the floor. The Chief asked the ascetic to protect his gold.
“Do not fear” said the ascetic. “Ascetics have no use for wealth or any other material things”.
The Chief went home happily thinking that his wealth was well protected.
However, the ascetic had other thoughts after the Village Chief went away. He thought that the thousand gold coins would help him to live well all his life. He took the bag of gold and went and buried it by the edge of the road which led to the village.
Some days later, the ascetic went for his daily alms to the Village Chief’s house. After the meal he told the Chief “It is not the custom of ascetics to stay in one place for long. I am leaving the village today”.
The Chief was very sad to hear this but he did not want to prevent the ascetic from leaving as he did not wish to put an obstacle in the ascetic’s way of life. The Chief accompanied the ascetic some way from the village and then stood with tears in his eyes as the ascetic went on alone.
Once out of sight of the Chief the ascetic picked up a straw from the ground and stuck it in his top knot. Then, he went back to the Chief’s house.
“Why have you returned”? asked the Chief.
“When I was leaving your house a straw had got stuck in my hair. I came to give it back. We ascetics do not care to take even a straw belonging to others” replied the ascetic. After giving the straw to the Village Chief the ascetic went away.
Now, on this very same day, the Chief Merchant of Benares happened to pass through the village and he stopped to talk to the Village Chief.
He told the story of the ascetic to the Merchant all the while praising the ascetic’s honesty saying that he even returned the straw which had got stuck in his hair by accident.
Suspicious
When he heard this the Merchant became suspicious and asked the Village Chief whether he had anything of value in the ascetic’s house. The Village Chief told him about the bag of gold coins.
“Go quickly and see if it is there? said the Merchant.
The Village Chief ran to the ascetic’s house and opened the hole containing the bag of gold. He was horrified to see the bag missing and ran and told the Merchant about it.
They both chased after the ascetic and caught him and made him return the gold coins to the Village Chief.
Then the Merchant from Benares went on his way after advising the Village Chief to be careful about whom he trusted. The Merchant said that everybody was not the same and there were dishonest and cunning people. He said they deceived people and therefore, should not be trusted.
Source: The Kuhaka Jathakaya