The Greedy Man - By Shubhayan Samanta

Once there was a miser named

Sonamal. One day he went to the market to buy a coconut. There the miser asked the coconut vendor, “What is the price of one coconut?”  “Five rupees each, sir!” said the vendor. “It’s too expensive for one small coconut. Would you like to give it to me for four rupees?” asked Sonamal. “No sir! However, if you walk a kilometre ahead, there you’ll certainly get it for four rupees” said the vendor humbly. Sonamal thought “Never mind, if I walk a kilometer then I can save one rupee.”

 

Sonamal walked ahead for a kilometer. There he saw a coconut vendor. He asked the price of a coconut. “Four rupees each, Sir!” said the vendor. “Four rupees? No, no! I can only pay three rupees” said Sonamal. “No sir, I can’t give you a coconut for three rupees. But if you walk a kilometre ahead, you can buy a coconut for three rupees,” said the vendor.

 

Sonamal walked ahead for a kilometre. There he saw a coconut vendor. He asked the price of a coconut. “Three rupees each, Sir!” said the vendor. “Three rupees? No, no! I can only pay two rupees,” said Sonamal. “No sir, I can’t give you a coconut for two rupees, but if you walk a kilometre ahead, you’ll certainly get it for two rupees”, said the vendor.

 

So Sonamal walked a kilometre ahead. Now he was on the beach. A number of coconut vendors were selling coconuts. Sonamal asked one of the coconut vendors the price of a coconut. “Two rupees each sir”, said the vendor. “Two rupees? No, no! I can only pay you one rupee”, said Sonamal. “Sir, you will never get a coconut for one rupee. Why don’t you climb up on one of these trees and pluck a coconut for nothing?”, replied the vendor.

 

The advice appealed to Sonamal.  So he climbed one of the trees and used his two hands to pluck a coconut. When the coconut was plucked, Sonamal fell from the tree.  He indeed got a coconut, but he got it by fracturing his body.

Moral: Greed has no end. It often leads us to misdeeds and sufferings.