Once upon a time there lived two friends named Dharmabuddhi and Papabuddhi. These two travelled to another country far away in order to earn money. When they had saved a thousand gold coins, they decided to return home, since their objective was attained.
When they drew near their native city, Dharmabuddhi said: “My good friend, half of our savings belong to you. Please take your share, so that, now that we are at home, we may enjoy our wealth.”
But Papabuddhi, with an evil intention, said to the other: “My good friend, so long as we two hold this treasure in common, our fruitful partnership will remain intact. Let us each take a hundred gold coins, and go to our homes after burying the remainder at a secret place. Whenever we need money, we can come here together and take whatever we need. Moreover it is not safe to take home all this wealth because relatives and friends in need will seek help if they know about our riches. You know that money tempts even saints.”
Now Dharmabuddhi, in the nobility of his nature, did not comprehend the hidden motives of his friend and agreed to the proposal. Both of them took a hundred gold coins each and carefully hid the remaining eight hundred coins under a Mimosa tree in the forest and moved to the city.
Before long, Papabuddhi exhausted his wealth in bad habits and unwise expenditure. He therefore made a second division with Dharmabuddhi, each taking a second hundred gold coins.
Within a year this, too, had been spent in the same way through Papabuddhi’s hands. As a result, he thought: “Time has come for me to steal all the remaining money”. After this decision, he went alone, removed the treasure of remaining eight hundred gold coins, and levelled the ground.
A month later, Papabuddhi went to Dharmabuddhi and said: “My good friend, let us divide the rest of the money equally.” So he and Dharmabuddhi visited the spot and began to dig. When the excavation failed to reveal any treasure, Papabuddhi shouted: “Dharmabuddhi, you have stolen our shared treasure. If you don’t give me my half then I will take you to court.” Naturally Dharamabuddhi denied having taken the money and together they approached the court of law.
In the court, the judge asked them to take oath in the name of God. But Papabuddhi quoted experts as saying that relevant documents should be produced first as proof, then witnesses should be summoned to give evidence and oath in the name of God is to be taken when neither documents nor witnesses are available.
“I can produce the Gods of the forest as witnesses. They will determine who is guilty and who is not,” said Papabuddhi. Impressed by this plan, the judges asked both the friends to be present next morning at the forest for a hearing. Then Papabuddhi went home and asked his father’s help. “Father, I have stolen Dharmabuddhi’s money. There is a case in the court that I can win only with your help.”
“How can I help you son? What do you want me to do?” asked his father.
“There is a big Mimosa tree near the spot where we had buried the treasure. I am going to hide you in the hollow of that tree. Tomorrow morning when the judges and others assemble there, I will ask you to tell the truth. Then it is your turn to declare that Dharmabuddhi is the thief,” said the son.
“Oh, my son,” said the father, “what are you doing? This is no kind of a scheme. There is wisdom in the old story of the foolish Cranes”
Then father said, “Wise men should not only be resourceful but also know the consequences of being resourceful. If you have a strategy, you must also know what the strategy would lead to.” But Papabuddhi didn’t pay any heed to his father’s warning. During the night he hid his father out of sight in the hollow of the tree. When morning came, Papabuddhi followed Dharmabuddhi and the judge to the Mimosa tree. Papabuddhi went near the tree and shouted, “O sun, moon, air, fire, earth, water, day and night, you are all witnesses to the history of humanity. O Gods of the Forest, declare who among us is guilty.”
Then Papabuddhi’s father spoke from inside the hollow of Mimosa: “Gentlemen, Dharmabuddhi took that money.” All judges and the king’s men were astonished to hear this statement and sat down to decide what punishment they should give to Dharmabuddhi.
Meanwhile, Dharmabuddhi filled the hollow with rags and hay and set it on fire. The fire forced the half-burnt father to come out of the tree. And they all asked: “Why, sir! What does this mean?”
“It is all Papabuddhi’s doing,” said the father and soon collapsed. The king’s men at once bound Papabuddhi’s hands and feet and hung him to a tree. The judge said, “Papabuddhi considered only the crooked plan but not what would follow. He reaped the consequences.”
