Story

The thief who became virtuous

A Mahatma once came to small village. Many people were going to have darshan and a few bad characters also joined them. These men wanted ‘Upadesha from the Mahatma. They prayed for Upadesha and the Mahatma advised them that they should leave of three vices they had namely, stealing, gambling and speaking lies.

To this they said, ‘Oh, Mahatma, we cannot leave stealing and gambling because they are our livelihood. However, since you are saying we will take an oath not to speak untruth hereafter.’ The Mahatma said, “Yes, my sons, I am glad you are casting off at least one evil habit, may God bless you.”

The same night one of the thieves decided to commit theft in the King’s palace. When he approached the palace, he saw someone wandering there. That was the King himself but the thief did not know that he was the King. He was wandering in the terrace because he could not get sleep. The king asked the thief “who are you?” the thief told him – remembering the oath taken that we would always speak the truth – that he was a thief.

The king was surprised to receive such a straight forward and truthful reply and was naturally interested in him. He tried to extract more information. The King said, “I too am a thief. I will help you in your theft. Come with me.” The King took him inside and handed him the keys of an iron safe and asked him to take whatever he wanted. The thief opened the safe and found lots of things, and there were also three big diamonds. He took only two diamonds and left the third one there itself. He came out and gave one diamond to the King and told him “because I thought we cannot share three diamonds equally, and properly, I did not take anything else except these two diamonds. So take one diamond and I will keep one for me.” So saying he gave back the keys and one diamond to the King. The King asked him his address and offered to help him in future thefts also. The thief gave his address, thanked the king and left.

The next morning the king announced the theft in the palace and ordered the Prime Minister to report after proper investigation.

The minister opened the safe and found a diamond there he was tempted and thought he could very well pocked it and can go unchecked because every will think that all the three diamonds must have been stolen by the thieves.

He then reported to the king that all the three diamonds were stolen.

The king sent his soldiers to bring the thief whose address he had taken on the previous night. The thief was brought before the king but he could not recognize the king in his full costume. The king asked him what all he had done in the palace the previous night.

The thief admitted that the stolen diamonds from the safe, the keys of which were given to him by a person whom he met on the terrace.

He further stated that both of them shared one diamond each. Thought the king knew this he did not want the people to know that he knew. He felt happy to hear only truth from the thief. The minister had committed theft and also spoken lies.

The king ordered a search on the minister and the diamond was detected in his pocket. He was dismissed for his crime and the thief was appointed in his place as an appreciation of his truth. The thief went and vowed before the Mahatma to give up one vice only i.e. talking lies. See what a benefit it has done to the thief.

Along with telling lies, his other vices of stealing and gambling also are gone since he had now no longer any necessity for them. With giving up one vice, all vices also are gone. With one virtue, all virtues come by themselves. “Truthfulness destroys all Durgunas”.

Activity

• Write any one bad quality of yours in a chit and promise to leave that quality and in another chit use any one good quality you will start practicing from that day.