The Foolish Sage (Panchatantra Stories In English)

The Foolish Sage – Panchatantra Stories In English

The Foolish Sage: A long years ago, there was a village named, Mukundapur. The environment of that village was very peaceful, and the villagers also want to live their life in peacefully.

On the outskirts of that village, there was a temple of Lord Shiva, where lived an old sage. The name of the sage was Dev Sharma.

He was very old and wise too and all the villagers respect him. As the villages of Mukundapur Wanted to live peacefully hence they always used to visit the temple and the sage when they face any problem and the sage also gave the solution to their problems.

When the villagers got their solutions they also gave different types of gifts like food, money, jewelry, and many garments to the sage happily in return for his solution.

Many people had no issue, but they only visited the sage for his blessing. They also gave the Sage money, gold and silver coin, etc. as gifts. The sage didn’t believe in begging. So he started savings for his future.

Thus, he accepted all the gifts that he got and sale the extra gift which was not required for him to maintain his sage life. By selling the gift which he got from his visitors in the market, he got money and collect the amount of money. Thus, he became rich day by day.

The most important characteristic of the sage was that he did not believe anybody.

The money that he got after selling the extra gifts, was kept in a bag, and he always used to carry the bag with him, under his arm. The sage did not leave that bag even for a single moment. He thought someone can steal his bag.

One day while the sage was going to the market a swindler noticed. The sage also noticed that the money that the sage got by selling the gifts was kept that amount in his bag. Which he carried under his arm.

Thus, the swindler became sure that the sage must be kept in the bag very carefully. After that day, the swindler always observed the activity of that sage very carefully, and he became sure that the sage was very much possessive about his bag. He knew that the sage had a trust issue, he did not believe anybody easily.

The swindler planned to steal the bag from the sage, and he also planned that if he wants to steal the bag, then he had to be believable to the sage. The swindler could understand that without gaining trust, he could not steal his bag.

So the swindler decided that he will win the heart of the sage through the sweet voice and his sweet words.

One day, the swindler went to the temple and said, “Om Namah Shivay” and prayed to Lord Shiva and beg the peace of all the organisms from the lord. Then he went to meet with this sage and fell to his feet and told the sage to guide him on the right path.

As he wanted to know where he could find the peace. He also becomes fed up with his life. So, he also wanted to know that how he got a peaceful life. The swindler was young, he repeatedly told the sage that he want nothing without the peace of all the living organisms.

Noticing the philosophy of that stranger at that young age, the sage was very much impressed. The stranger said to the sage, “make me your disciple, please.” 

To listen to this word, the sage smiled at him and replied that he will guide the right path in the spiritual world, so as not to worry about that. Then the stranger also told the sage that he will do everything which will be ordered by him.

To see the strong desire of the stranger. The sage agreed to make him his disciple. But the sage also gives him one condition he has to leave the sage alone at night the sage did not like the company of anybody at night as he did meditation at nighttime.

The Sage also told him that he can sleep in the hut of the sage, but did not enter the temple.  Swindler agreed with his condition and told that he will obey his all condition and wishes every day.

In the evening time, the sage started his ritual and called his new disciple to learn all the rituals of the swindler, so he can perform that in the future. The swindler also tried to prove himself to the sage as the best and an obedient disciple.

So, the swindler helped the sage in his all rituals and also clean the temple. The utensils of the temple which are essential for the worshiping of God after completing all the essential work of the temple, the swindler massaged the body of the sage.

The sage becomes very happy, but he did not get enough confidence to feel, leaves the new disciple.

The swindler did not gain his enough trust and also did not steal the bag. Hence, he becomes frustrated, so the swindler thought in his mind. If he mixes the poisons with the food of the sage, or killed him with the help of the knife. Then only he can achieve the property of the sage.

When he thinks those thoughts in his mind then he noticed that a young boy came to the sage and invited him to his house, the next day the sage accepted the invitation of the guy.

The swindler thought that tomorrow will be the best time to steal the bag. On the next day, they started walking towards the house of the follower of the sage.

On the way on their journey, they arrived near a river to see the clean water of the river and the sage wanted to bathe in that river. Then he published his wish to his disciple and told him to look after the bag very carefully.

Swindler becomes very excited as he was waiting for this opportunity for a while when the sage was going to the river, the swindler ran away with the bag of the sage.

Then the sage comes back again after his bathe, then he finds nothing. He neither found his disciple nor found his bag. Then he started screaming, but didn’t find that swindler. Then the sage started running towards the path, but his all efforts became ruined.

He lost everything for his foolishness. If he didn’t believe the swindler then he didn’t lose his property which he made over long years. After losing his property, he became stunned.

So, the story of ‘The Foolish Sage’ ends here. Let’s know the moral of this story. What do we learn from “The Panchatantra story of The Foolish Sage”?