The Tiger And The Greedy Man

An old tiger lived in a forest. He was not strong. He could not hunt the animals. He starved for many days. One day he thought of a plan. He said, "I shall go to the river and take a bath. Then I shall sit on the bank. In one paw I shall hold some sacred kusa grass. In the other paw, I shall hold a gold bangle."

He carried out his plan. Every day he sat on the bank of the river with the kusa grass in one hand and the gold bangle in the other. For some days no one came that way. The tiger was sad and hungry.

After a week a Brahmin passed that way. He was a poor and greedy man.

The tiger saw him and said, "Come here, good sir, I will give you a gold bangle. You can give it to your wife or daughter or you can sell it for a lot of money."

The Brahmin saw the gold bangle. He thought, "The tiger has spoken kind words to me. He is very old too. He will not do me any harm."

Then the Brahmin asked the tiger, "You are sitting on the opposite bank of the river. Is the river very deep? Can I cross it safely? How can I trust you?"

The tiger replied, "Don't be afraid of me. I am very old. I have lost all my teeth. I bathe in the river every day and give presents to the poor. The river is not very deep. You can easily come to me and take the bangle from my hand."

The greedy Brahmin trusted the words of the tiger. He got into the water and walked a few steps. The river was not very deep. In a few minutes he was very near the opposite bank. But suddenly his feet sank into mud. The tiger said to him, "Do not be afraid, O Brahmin. I will come and pull you out."

Then the tiger walked slowly to him, pulled him out and ate him.

MORAL: Greedy Is Bad.