The Reckless Barber
The Generous Merchant
This story is about a city called Patliputra. Once upon a time, a merchant named Manibhadra lived there with his wife, Gayatri. They were very wealthy. They owned a lot of land and lived in a mansion.
Manibhadra was a good man. He never boasted about his wealth. He had worked hard all his life. His wife, Gayatri, was a wise woman. She never let anyone leave their house empty-handed.
Manibhadra and Gayatri were renowned in their city. On every occasion, they invited people to their home and treated them with respect and kindness. They always had a visitor at their mansion. The couple were excellent hosts. They offered their guests expensive gifts and various kinds of food.
— See, Gayatri? We have many good wishes. We will never go hungry or become homeless as long as these good people are with us. They won't leave us alone.
— Oh, dear, you are too innocent. You give so much without expecting anything in return. But these people only come here because they are treated like royalty. None of them will stand by us if we ever face trouble. — Nonsense! Don't think like that. They are our people. — I know you won't listen to me, and I hope the time never comes when you are proven wrong.
Hard Times
But Gayatri's fears came true. The future had something else in store for the merchant couple. One summer day, Manibhadra learned that his cargo had been lost at sea. He lost all his goods.
They searched for the ship, but in vain. Manibhadra had to pay a lot of money to his clients. He tried to ask his friends for help, but each one found an excuse and sent him away.
— What happened, dear? Did you find anyone to help us? — No. Everyone has their own troubles. They can't help me now.
Gayatri knew that all his friends were making excuses. But she also knew her husband wouldn't believe her. She remained silent.
Poverty and Hard Work
The merchant had to sell all his land to cover his losses. But it still wasn't enough money. He had to sell his mansion. That worked. Manibhadra paid all his debts, but now he was a poor man. He lived in a small house and worked someone else's land to earn money.
Gayatri worked as a teacher to help with the household. Both had to work hard. But even with so many problems, Manibhadra and Gayatri remained good and respectful towards others. They earned enough to feed at least one guest a day. They no longer had expensive gifts or different kinds of food to offer. But they had hospitality and heartfelt conversations.
Friends Disappear
Time passed, but no visitors came. The people Manibhadra thought were friends now looked at him and walked past, smiling. Manibhadra was depressed.
— Ah! You were so right, Gayatri. These are not our friends. They only came to enjoy our expensive gifts and hospitality. If only I had listened to you! I'm sorry, Gayatri. I have nothing left. I can no longer offer you a good life. — Don't say that, dear! I am happy to be with you. Just because some people don't stand by us in hard times doesn't mean we should change who we are. You are a man of principles. Your sincerity will be rewarded one day.
But Manibhadra was too upset to believe what Gayatri was saying.
— She only says that because she loves me. I've been a fool all my life. My recklessness will not be rewarded. I have nothing to support my family with. How can I cope? It's my fault. Isn't it better to die than to live with this guilt forever?
Blaming himself, the merchant fell asleep.
An Unexpected Hope
— Mani, wake up, Mani! — Huh? What's happening? Who are you? — I am a monk. I have come to help you. You must not despair in the face of problems. You must confront them. — I am a fool. I cannot face what I have done. — You are not foolish. Foolish is he who acts without understanding the whole truth. What happened to you was an unfortunate accident. And I am here to help you.
— What? How will you help me? And why would you do that? — Your wife is right. The reason I appeared is due to your sincerity and years of hard work. This is your reward. Now listen. Tomorrow I will knock on your door in the same body. Touch the back of my neck with a stick. Then I will transform into a pot of gold. All your wealth will return. Remember, do not strike any other monk, otherwise you will be punished.
— Huh? What a strange dream! I probably fell asleep thinking about money.
The Barber's Plan
When the merchant stepped out the door, he saw another monk passing by his house.
— Hmm. Could it be him? Oh, no! The monk said he would appear in the same body. Dream or not, I must not touch anyone without thinking.
As Manibhadra sat on the couch, he heard someone knocking at the door.
— Oh, who could it be? Is it the monk? — No, no, Saheb, it's the barber. You told me to come. — Oh, yes, of course. Come in.
As Manibhadra sat down for his haircut, there was another knock at the door.
— Dear! There's a monk at the door. What should I give him? — A monk? Go quickly! Bring me a stick! — A stick? — I don't have time to explain. Quickly, bring it!
Without letting the barber finish his haircut, Manibhadra ran to the monk with a stick. The monk had already entered the house. Then he touched the back of his neck with the stick and suddenly...
— Oh! What is this? So much gold! — Yes! We are no longer poor!
The merchant was so happy that he completely forgot about the barber who was still in the house and had witnessed the entire event.
— Oh, so that's how the merchant got rich. It's not hard at all.
The Consequences of Recklessness
The next day, the barber made a plan. He went to the place where the monks stayed and invited them all to his house. The monks hesitated at first, but they felt sorry for the barber who begged them to come. The monks followed the barber to his house. As soon as the monks entered the house, the barber locked the doors and began hitting them with a stick.
— No, no! What are you doing? — Help! This man is crazy! — Run! He'll kill us! — Oh!
One monk somehow managed to escape and asked people to help the other monks. Everyone broke down the barber's door and rescued the monks.
The barber was scared. The people were furious when they found out what the barber had done. They ran to hit him. The barber was chased out of town and was never seen again.
Manibhadra and Gayatri saw the whole scene.
— The monk was right. Foolish is he who acts without understanding the whole truth. The reckless barber only knew that I touched a monk with a stick and that he then turned into gold. But he didn't know about my dream. He acted without thinking and was punished for hitting the wrong monks.
Never act without understanding the whole truth.
