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Farmer, snake and gold coins

Sunday Parable by Sunanda Mahendra

'You've got to be careful about the snake who comes out of the anthill (hubaha), otherwise it will bite you. Don't even get near that place because nobody knows the time he comes out,' said the elderly farmer to his poor companion farmer.

"But if you feed him perhaps he will not do you any harm," said the companion farmer.

"That's why I want you not to go near the place," explained the farmer. "Alright," agreed the companion.

But something striking happened inside the mind of the companion farmer. He wanted to see the snake and watch how it came out of the anthill.

Farmer and the snake

"I want to see this snake for myself and watch how he behaves." Having thought in this manner, he went towards the anthill slowly, and hid himself behind a bush. Then after a vigilant watch he found the snake slowly coming from the mouth of the anthill slithering hither and thither, trying to find food.

The companion farm hand felt sorry about the snake and wanted to feed him with milk. So he went home and entered the kitchen to find some milk. He put the milk in a bowl and returned to the anthill and talked to the snake.

"My dear snake! I am sorry to see you starving this way. Please accept this bowl of milk if you don't mind, and I am not a rich farmer who can help you. I am only a poor farm hand in this area. So please don't bite me."

The snake, as if understanding the words of the poor man, came closer to the bowl, drank the milk, moved his hood in veneration and slithered back into the anthill. The following day when he came back with another bowl of milk, the farm hand to his surprise saw a glistening gold coin, near the anthill.

"This is definitely a present from my friend, the snake. He has understood my words and is undoubtedly a dead relative of mine born as a snake."

He took the gold coin and went home to tell his wife secretly about his new companion and how he had gifted him in return. When the wife heard this, she prepared and set apart a bowl of milk daily to be taken to the snake. In this manner the farm hand and the wife were gifted with a gold coin every day, which made them rich to the surprise of many villagers, who were not aware of this happening.

Secret out

One day it so happened that the farm hand had to go to the town to bring some provisions. "Will you hand over the bowl of milk during my absence to our snake ?" he asked his wife. "No I should not do it for some body will see me and find the secret," replied the wife. "So who is going to take the bowl of milk?"

"Let's ask the young son to do it"

For such a long time this was a secret. But the parents had to reveal it to their only son. So the father summoned his son to a side and said:

"My dear son you should understand that this is a top secret that was kept for such a long time between your mother and me, but now as I am going out to the town I am compelled to tell you all about it in order to see that you serve our benefactor."

The son nodded in approval and showed he was willing to offer the bowl of milk until the father returned home.

The son got up in the morning and took the bowl of milk from his mother and went to the anthill. The snake appeared and partook of the offering not knowing that the son was watching him. Then the snake left a gold coin in the usual place for him to collect. In this manner for about two days the son had the good opportunity of getting two gold coins from the snake.

Scheming son

But the son was not as wise as his father, and thought of getting more gold coins.

"Surely this anthill is full of gold coins," he thought. "I think he is the guardian of the anthill which is full of gold coins and if I am to kill this snake I should be in a position to get all the gold coins at once." His mind was filled with many more negative thoughts. "It is pretty sure that the snake is either hiding the gold coins in his wiry body or in his den, the anthill, bringing one by one daily.

But why should that happen and why should we depend on this snake to bring it daily? I can dig the anthill or rip open the belly of the snake and get all the gold coins and that's what one should do. The moment I collect all these gold coins I should be the richest man on earth. But how am I to kill this snake? Killing a snake is not too easy.

I've got to kill with just one blow on his head."

Greed takes toll

Then he found a thick wooden club from the forest. He hid himself near the anthill. When the snake came out of the anthill, the boy struck him on the head.

The snake did not die. Instead he hissed sharply with his fangs onto the arm of the boy.

The boy died instantly and there he lay on the ground like a log of wood. The mother and the father were worried and wanted to go in search of him.

"What has gone wrong with our son?" said the father walking towards the anthill. Looking at the dead body of his son, the father visualised what had happened.

The father felt sorry for his son who had acted so foolishly. He did not want to meet his friend the snake thereafter.

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