Merchant’s Dream, Barber’s Greed, Judge’s Punishment.

 Merchant’s Dream, Barber’s Greed, Judge’s Punishment.

In a small town, there lived a kind and generous merchant named Manibhadra. He and his wife always welcomed guests with open arms, and everyone loved them. But one day, a terrible storm destroyed all Manibhadra’s ships, which were full of expensive goods. He lost everything.

The people who had lent him money demanded it back immediately. Manibhadra had to sell all his belongings to pay them. Soon, he was left with nothing, not even his friends, who only cared about his wealth.

Feeling heartbroken, Manibhadra thought, “I have nothing left to give my family but sadness. Maybe it’s better if I’m gone.” That night, he had a strange dream. A monk appeared and said, “If you touch my head with a stick, I will turn into gold that will last you forever.” In his dream, Manibhadra did just that, and the monk became a mountain of gold coins!

The next morning, as Manibhadra woke up, he heard a knock at the door. “Could my dream be real?” he wondered. His wife called out, “The barber is here to shave you.”

“Silly me,” Manibhadra sighed. “Dreams don’t come true.”

But just then—knock, knock! —Someone else was at the door. When Manibhadra opened it, there stood a monk, staring at him meaningfully. Remembering his dream, Manibhadra grabbed a stick and lightly tapped the monk’s head.

POOF! A huge pile of gold appeared before him!

Overjoyed, Manibhadra gave the barber a handful of coins and told him to keep the miracle a secret. But the barber was greedy and foolish. “If hitting monks turns them into gold, I’ll be the richest man alive!” he thought.

So, he invited some monks to his house for a feast. As soon as they entered, the barber grabbed a stick and started hitting them! The poor monks cried out in fear. One escaped and called the soldiers, who arrested the barber.

At the trial, the judge asked, “Why did you attack these holy men?”

“Manibhadra hit a monk and got gold! I wanted gold too!” the barber whined.

The judge called Manibhadra, who explained the truth. Realizing the barber’s greed and stupidity, the judge punished him severely.

Moral: Greed and foolishness lead to trouble, while kindness and patience bring true rewards.