Page 107 - Moral Stories Vol 6

In a small village there was a small house. In front of the house there was a mango tree with fine, rich fruits on its branches. The house belonged to three brothers. Their parents died when they were very young. The parents were poor and the mango tree and a small plot of barren land was the only property they had left behind. The brothers earned their livelihood1 by selling the mangoes.
One day, a saint came to the village. He was tired, hungry and thirsty. The eldest of the three brothers was the first to meet him. He offered some of the mangoes from his stock to the saint. The saint enjoyed eating the sweet and juicy mangoes. He was very pleased. He asked the eldest brother to ask for a boon.
The eldest brother said, “I wish I had a large herd of cattle and that the barren land left by my parents was fertile. Then I could farm the land with the cattle and earn money which would make our lives better”. “So be it!”, said the saint. The next moment, the eldest brother found himself surrounded by many cows and oxen and the piece of land became fertile. The eldest brother was delighted.
The saint then met the second brother. He, too, served the saint some fine mangoes. The saint was pleased with him as well. He asked the second brother to ask for a boon. The second brother said, “I wish I had all the knowledge in the world. That way people will come to listen to me and all will respect me. The troubles of my life will be over”. “So be it!”, said the saint. The next moment, the second brother was granted his wish. People started to come from far and wide to meet him.
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