The Rat That Ate Iron
Once, in a bustling town, there lived a young merchant’s son named Jeernadhana. Unfortunately, his business ventures failed, and he lost all his wealth. Deciding to try his fortune elsewhere, he planned to travel far in search of success.
Before leaving, he mortgaged a costly iron balance, an heirloom from his ancestors, to a fellow merchant for some travel money. Jeernadhana then set out on his journey, and over time, fortune favored him. He returned home, prosperous and hopeful.
Upon his return, he visited the merchant and asked politely, “Friend, please return the iron balance I left in your care.”
But the greedy merchant, unwilling to part with such a valuable item, fabricated a lie: “Alas! I am helpless. Our house is infested with rats, and they have eaten away your iron balance.”
Jeernadhana instantly understood the deceit but kept calm. He smiled and said, “If the rats have eaten it, so be it. Nothing lasts forever.”
Then he added casually, “I must go bathe in the river. Kindly send your son along to watch over my belongings while I bathe.”
The merchant, suspecting nothing, sent his boy. After bathing, Jeernadhana led the boy to a cave, shut him inside, and rolled a heavy rock against the entrance. He then returned alone.
When the merchant noticed his son missing, he grew alarmed and demanded, “Where is my boy? Why have you come back alone?”
Jeernadhana sighed dramatically and said, “Alas, friend, while I was bathing, a flamingo swooped down and carried your son away in its claws. I could do nothing.”
The merchant, furious, shouted, “You liar! No bird can carry off a boy that size. I’ll take this matter to the village elders!”
So both men went before the elders. The merchant accused Jeernadhana of kidnapping his son. The elders ordered, “Return the boy at once! Such trickery will not be tolerated.”
But Jeernadhana calmly replied, “My lords, what can I do? A flamingo carried him away before my very eyes.”
The elders were outraged. “Nonsense!” they cried. “How can a flamingo possibly carry off a child?”
Jeernadhana smiled and said, “In a land where rats eat heavy iron balances, why is it impossible for a flamingo to carry off a boy?”
The assembly was startled. The elders pressed him to explain, and Jeernadhana narrated the whole story—how the greedy merchant had lied about the balance, and how he had hidden the boy safely in a cave to teach him a lesson.
Hearing this, everyone burst into laughter, and the merchant hung his head in shame. The elders ordered him to return the iron balance immediately and collect his son from the cave.
Moral of the Story:
Tit-for-tat is the best policy in life—sometimes justice is served by giving others a taste of their own deceit.