The Lazy Brahman
Once upon a time, there lived a Brahman in a village. He lived there with his wife and two children. The Brahman lived his life in a peculiar way.
Every morning he would wake up, bathe by the well, come home, eat his meal, and go back to sleep. The Brahman had everything in life. He owned a large farm. Here he grew different kinds of fruits and vegetables, but he had a very bad habit.
The Brahman was a very lazy man. His family was always worried because he never worked and kept sleeping all day long.
— Are you sleeping again? Come on, wake up! Don't you have to go to the farm today? — All our crops will be ruined!
But all efforts to wake him were in vain. The Brahman opened one eye, smiled, and fell asleep again.
— Oh, there's no point in waking him. — I'll go to the farm myself to see if everything is alright.
The Sage's Visit
Immediately after, the children started making noise in the house, and this woke the Brahman, who began to play with them.
Meanwhile, as the Brahman's wife was returning home from the farm, she met a wise sage. She invited him to come home to eat.
— Guruji, I haven't had the honor of meeting you in a long time. — You must accompany me home. Please, give me the chance to serve you, please! — You are very generous, my child. May my God bless you. — Let's go.
As the Brahman's wife walked home with the sage, she saw...
— Thank goodness! He's awake! — Look who has come to our house!
As soon as the Brahman saw Guruji, he immediately went outside to greet him. The husband and wife served Guruji very well. They served him food.
After the meal, the Brahman sat down and began to massage Guruji's feet. The sage was very pleased with their service and their spirit. Then he asked the Brahman to make a wish.
— Tell me, my child, what do you wish for? — I will grant you any wish you have. — Guruji, I only have one wish: never to have to work again. I wish someone would do all the work as if by magic. — Alright. I will grant your wish. But remember: you must keep him busy always! He must never remain idle. — As you say, Guruji. I will remember that.
The Monster and the Granted Wish
After agreeing to grant his wish, Guruji blessed the Brahman and went on his way. As soon as he left, a large monster appeared.
— Master! Your wish is my command! Tell me, what can I do for you? — Alright, do one thing: go and water my lands.
The monster disappeared immediately. The Brahman was relieved. Now he no longer had to work.
After a while, the monster appeared again.
— Master! The work you asked me to do is done! What else should I do? Give me more work! — What? You've already watered all the lands in such a short time? What other task can I give you now? — Oh, you must give me work, master! Otherwise, I will eat you!
The Brahman was now afraid. He immediately gave the monster another task.
— Go quickly and plow the entire field. — Yes, master, I will do all the work and return soon.
As he left, the Brahman calmed down and thought.
— It takes a long time to plow a field. Until then, I will have some more food.
The Brahman sat down with his wife and children to have some food. But just then the monster appeared.
— You're back again? Have you plowed the entire field? — Yes, master! What else should I do? Give me more work! — Work, work, work! What other work can I give you? Come now! Come and play with my head!
The Wife's Solution and the Lesson Learned
As soon as the Brahman uttered these words, the monster began to play with the Brahman's head.
— He's gone mad! Someone stop him! Otherwise, he'll break my head! What do I do now? What work can I give him? How do I get rid of him? — If you want to get rid of him, I can help you. But you must promise me something first. — Oh yes, tell me quickly! My head will explode now! — From now on, you will do all the work by yourself. — Oh, alright. Agreed. Now please help me get rid of him! — Listen, do one thing: stop playing with his head. Our dog Moti, his tail is crooked. Go and straighten it. — Your wish is my command! I will do it right now!
Amused to see her husband's predicament, the wife began to laugh.
— I always warned you. I knew that one day you would pay for being so lazy. — You see? Alright, I got what I deserved. But he will straighten Moti's tail and return soon. What will I do then? — What are you talking about? Has anyone ever been able to straighten a dog's tail? Believe me, he will spend all his time trying to do that. But the task will never end! — You saved me today. From now on, I will do all the work myself. I will never rely on anyone again.
The Moral
— What happened? Why are you laughing, children? — Oh, nothing! We are all laughing at the lazy Brahman! — Yes. Now you know the result of work you don't do yourself? Now tell me: do you all agree to do your homework yourselves? Or will you want someone to do it for you by magic? Hmm? — Never!
The moral of this story is that laziness never brings anything good, and it is important to fulfill your responsibilities yourself.
