Old Tiger and A Greedy Traveller

Once upon a time, there lived a tiger who had grown so old and weak that he could no longer hunt for food. Hungry and desperate, he thought of a cunning plan to trick someone into becoming his meal.

One morning, the tiger stood in the middle of a lake. In one paw, he held a blade of holy grass (kusha), and in the other, a shiny gold bracelet. He roared, “Come one, come all! A gold bracelet, free for whoever wants it!”

A traveller passing by spotted the glittering bracelet and thought, “What luck! But wait… this is a tiger. I must be careful.”

Cautiously, he called out, “Tiger, where is this gold bracelet you speak of?”

The tiger stretched out his paw and showed it. The man, still doubtful, asked, “Why should I trust you? You’re known to be a killer.”

The tiger replied with a sigh, “Traveller, you are right. In my youth, I committed many sins. I killed both cows and men. Because of my deeds, I lost my wife and children. A holy man then advised me to repent by giving alms. Now, I have changed my ways. I am old, my teeth and claws have fallen out. What harm can I do to you? I only wish to give charity before I die.”

Hearing this, the traveller’s suspicion faded, and greed took over. Longing for the bracelet, he stepped into the lake. But as he waded in, he sank into the deep mud and got stuck.

The tiger, pretending to be kind, said, “Oh, don’t worry, I’ll help you!” and slowly approached. But as soon as he reached the traveller, the tiger pounced and seized him.

Struggling in vain, the traveller gasped, “Ah! His sweet words fooled me. I forgot the truth: a rascal is always a rascal. My greed has brought me to my end!”

The tiger dragged him to the shore, killed him, and ate him.

Moral: Greed blinds us to danger, and it never goes unpunished.