The Story of Dharmabuddhi and Papabuddhi

” In a village, there lived two friends, whose nameswere Dharmabuddhi and Papabuddhi. One day Papabuddhi thought to himself, ‘I am not only poorbut also not so bright, so I shall get Dharmabuddhi’shelp, go with him to another kingdom and make somemoney. Then, I shall cheat him of his share of the fortune, anc; I live happily ever after. ‘ ” And so, after a few days, Papabuddhi said to Dharmabuddhi, ‘My friend! How are you planning toprovide for your old age? Let’s go to a foreign countryand make mo ey there! Besides, unless you travelabroad, what stories will you tell your grandsons? For: “A man who has not wandered in different lands And has not learned foreign languages, Nor studied various cultures, And made himself a fortune, Is born in vain on this earth.” ‘ “Dharmabuddhi readily agreed to accompany Papabud-· dhi and carry out his plan. He took leave of his parentsand,.on an auspicious day, set out with Papabuddhi ontheir travels. “Through Dharmabuddhi’s cleverness, the two of themmade a lot of money and after some time, returnedhome, extremely pleased with themselves. “As they were approaching their own village, Papabud dhi said to Dharmabuddhi, ‘Friend! It’s not a good ideato carry all this money home, because then our friend5’· and relatives will want a share of it. So let us take homeonly a nominal amount and bury the rest in the jungle. When the necessity arises, we can come back and digit out, for they say: “A clever man does not show off his wealth toanyone, ·

For even the mind of a sage May be.shaken by the sight of money.” ‘ -‘Very well theri,’ replied Dharmabuddhi, ‘we will.’ “And so after burying most of the 1 money, theyreturned home With the remainder and lived happily. “Some time after, at dead of night, Papabuddhi went to the jungle, uncovered all the money that was buried there, took it out, and closed the pit as it had beenbefore. Then he returned home with the money. ‘After a few days, Papabuddhi went to Dharmabuddhiand S£!.id, ‘Friend! I have a large family and as a resultmy money is all gone. Let’s go and fetch some morefrom the place, where we buried it.’ -‘All right then,’ replied Dharmabuddhi, ‘we. will.’ “When the two arrived at the place, they dug up thtpit j!.nd found the money pot empty. Pa: pabuddhi beganto beat his head, crying out, ‘Oh Dharmabuddhi! Only, ynu and nobody else could have stolen the money andfilled in the pit! Give me back my half or I shall makea complaint against you in the court of law.’ -‘You scoundrel! ‘ said Dharmabuddhi: ‘Don’t you talk like that! I am indeed Dharmabuddhi l I could nevercommit such a theft! For they say: “A righteous man looks upon oth’er men’s women As his own mother, And other men’s wealth As crow droppings And other human beings As!is own self.” ‘ “And so, fighting like this, they went to the judgesand accused each other. The judges ordered them tosubmit themselves to trial by fire to find out the truth. “But Papabuddhi said to them, ‘This decision is notgood, for they. say: “In the investigation of dis putes, Only in the absence of written evidence andwitnesses, Do the wise recommend ordeal by fire.”

-‘Now, the goddesses in the trees of the jungle neafby will be my witnesses. They will be able to reveal tous, which one is a thief and which one is an honestman.’ -‘You are right,’ said the judges. ‘We are very anxiorn: to know the truth about this. So, tomorrow morningyou must both accompany us to the jungle.’ “After that, Papabuddhi went home and said to hisfather, ‘ I have stolen a huge amount of money belongingto Dharmabuddhi and we have taken the matter to thecourt. Now only your co-operation will save me. Otherwise I shall lose not only the money but also mylife.’ -‘My son!’ said the · father. ‘Tell me quickly what I cando to save y011 and make the money secure.’ -‘Well,’ said Papabuddhi, ‘in the jungle, there is a Shamitree, which is hollow inside. You get into the hollownow so that, tomorrow morning, when we come with the judges, to find out the truth, you can shout frominside the tree, “Dharmabuddhi is the thief.” ‘ ” His father agreed to this arrangement and leftimmediately. “Next morning, Papabuddhi took an early bath andaccompanied by Dharmabuddhi and the judges, we11tto the Shami tree and asked in a lpud voice, ‘Oh · goddessin the tree! Tell us which one is the thief.’ ” I mmediately Papabuddhi’s father, hidden inside th/ hollow of the tree, replied, ‘Listen! It’s Dharmabu ddhiwho stole the money.’ “When the judges heard this, they were wonderstruck. They opened their eyes wide and im mediately started

discussing how to punish Dharmabuddhi according to

the law..

“But, meanwhile, Dharmabuddhi put a heap of driedleaves and grass in front of the hollow of the tree and ·:>et fire to it. When the fire was blazing, out came?apabuddhi’s father, crying pitifully, with half his bodyl Jurnt and his eyes popping out.

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PANCH ATANTRA

-‘Friend,’ they all said to him, ‘whatever has happenedto you?’ -‘It’s all Papabuddhi’s fault! ‘ he replied and he I.old them all that Papablddhi had done. “Then they hanged Papabuddhi on the same Shamitree. “The judges praised Dharmabuddhi and said, ‘It’s verytrue what they say: “A wise man thinks not only of a solution to hisproblems, But also of its consequences. The · heron found a way to kill the snake, Little realising that this would result in his mvndestruction. -‘How was that?’ asked Dharmabuddhi. And the judges told:

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What is the moral of THE STORY OF DHARMABUDDHI AND PAPABUDDHI?

The moral is: To value wisdom and make thoughtful decisions. This story teaches us that every action has consequences, and we must think carefully about the impact of our choices on ourselves and others.

What collection does THE STORY OF DHARMABUDDHI AND PAPABUDDHI belong to?

THE STORY OF DHARMABUDDHI AND PAPABUDDHI is from the Hitopadesha Collection, an ancient Sanskrit text. The Hitopadesha is a timeless collection of stories that teaches important life lessons through didactic stories about friendship and wisdom.

What age group is THE STORY OF DHARMABUDDHI AND PAPABUDDHI suitable for?

THE STORY OF DHARMABUDDHI AND PAPABUDDHI is best suited for Ages 6-10. Younger children will enjoy hearing it read aloud for its engaging narrative, while older children can read it independently and explore the deeper meanings and moral lessons embedded in the story.