Chapter :

Once upon a time, in a small village, there lived a poor blind Brahmin and his wife. They were dependent on their son for their subsistence. Every day, their son would go out and gather what he could by begging. This continued for some time until the young man grew tired of such a wretched life. Determined to seek a better fortune, he decided to try his luck in another country. He informed his wife of his intention and urged her to take care of his parents during his absence. He pleaded with her to be industrious, lest his parents should be angry and curse him.

One morning, with a bundle of food, he started his journey and walked day after day until he reached the chief city of the neighboring country. There, he sat down by a merchant's shop and asked for alms. The merchant, moved by his plight, inquired about his background. When the young man revealed that he was a Brahmin wandering to earn a livelihood for himself, his wife, and his parents, the merchant was filled with pity. He advised the Brahmin to visit the kind and generous king of the country and offered to accompany him to the court.

As fate would have it, the king was in search of a Brahmin to look after a golden temple he had recently built. Upon seeing the young Brahmin and hearing of his good and honest nature, the king was delighted. He immediately appointed him to take charge of the temple and arranged for him to receive fifty kharwars of rice and one hundred rupees annually as wages.

Months passed, and the Brahmin's wife, not having heard any news of her husband, decided to search for him. By a stroke of luck, she arrived at the very place where her husband was living. She learned that every morning at the golden temple, a golden rupee was given in the king's name to any beggar who chose to collect it. The next morning, she went to the temple and there, to her surprise, met her husband.

"Why have you come here?" he asked. "Why have you left my parents? Do you not care whether they curse me and I die? Go back immediately and await my return."

"No, no," the woman replied. "I cannot go back to starve and see your old father and mother die. There is not a grain of rice left in the house."

"O Bhagawant!" exclaimed the Brahmin. "Here, take this," he said, scribbling a few lines on a piece of paper and handing it to her, "and give it to the king. You will see that he will give you a lakh of rupees for it." Thus saying, he dismissed her, and the woman left.

On the paper were written three pieces of advice: First, if a person is traveling and reaches any strange place at night, let him be careful where he puts up and not close his eyes in sleep, lest he close them in death. Secondly, if a man has a married sister and visits her in great pomp, she will receive him for the sake of what she can obtain from him; but if he comes to her in poverty, she will frown on him and disown him. Thirdly, if a man has to do any work, he must do it himself and do it with might and without fear.

Upon reaching home, the Brahmin's wife told her parents of her meeting with her husband and the valuable piece of paper he had given her. Not liking to go before the king herself, she sent one of her relatives. The king read the paper, and ordering the man to be flogged, dismissed him. The next morning, the Brahmin's wife took the paper and, while walking to the darbar, met the king's son. Curious, he asked what she was reading. She explained that the paper contained certain bits of advice for which she wanted a lakh of rupees. The prince read it and, impressed, gave her a parwana for the amount.

The poor Brahmin's wife was very thankful. That day, she bought provisions sufficient to last them all for a long time. In the evening, the prince told his father about the encounter with the woman and the purchase of the paper. He thought his father would applaud the act, but instead, the king was furious and banished his son from the country.

The prince bid farewell to his mother, relatives, and friends and rode off, not knowing where to go. At nightfall, he arrived at a place where a man invited him to lodge at his house. The prince accepted and was treated generously. As he lay down to rest, he remembered the first piece of advice from the Brahmin's wife and resolved not to sleep. It was a wise decision, for in the middle of the night, the man tried to kill him. The prince, however, spoke up.

"Do not slay me," he said. "What profit would you gain from my death? If you killed me, you would regret it later, like the man who killed his dog."

"What man? What dog?" asked the would-be murderer.

"I will tell you," said the prince, "if you give me that sword."

The man handed over the sword, and the prince began his story.

"Once upon a time, there lived a wealthy merchant who had a pet dog. The merchant fell into poverty and had to part with his dog. He got a loan of five thousand rupees from a fellow merchant, leaving the dog as a pledge, and began his business again. Not long after, the other merchant's shop was broken into by thieves and completely ransacked. The faithful dog followed the thieves, saw where they hid the loot, and then returned. In the morning, the merchant's household was in great distress. Meanwhile, the dog kept pulling at his master's clothes, trying to lead him outside. Finally, a friend suggested the merchant follow the dog's lead. The dog took them to the hiding place of the stolen goods. Everything was recovered.

The grateful merchant sent the dog back to its original owner with a letter explaining the situation and offering to forgive the loan and give another five thousand rupees as a gift. When the original owner saw the dog returning, he mistakenly thought his friend wanted the money back and decided to kill the dog to avoid repaying the debt. Upon discovering the letter after the deed, he was filled with grief and regret.

"'Beware,'" the prince continued, 'lest you do something you will regret later.'"

By the time the prince finished his story, it was nearly morning, and he left after rewarding the man.

The prince then visited the country of his brother-in-law, disguised as a jogi. He sat near the palace, pretending to be absorbed in worship. News of the holy man reached the king, whose wife was very ill. The king, having sought cures in vain, hoped the jogi could help. He brought his wife to the jogi, who instructed her to prostrate herself before him. After three hours, he told her to rise, and she was cured.

In the evening, there was a commotion in the palace because the queen had lost her pearl rosary. It was found near where she had prostrated. The king, suspecting the jogi, ordered his execution. However, the prince bribed the guards and escaped, realizing the second piece of advice was true.

Continuing his journey, the prince saw a potter crying and laughing alternately with his family. Curious, he asked why. The potter explained that the king's daughter had to marry daily, as all her husbands died the first night. Their son was next, causing both fear and absurdity. The prince offered to take the son's place, and the potter prepared him for the wedding.

That night, the prince stayed alert and saw two Shahmars (serpents) emerge from the princess's nostrils, intending to kill him. He swiftly killed them with his sword. In the morning, the king was astonished to find the prince alive and well, talking happily with the princess.

The king asked the prince about his identity, and upon learning he was a prince, the king was overjoyed and appointed him his successor. The prince remained at the palace for more than a year before requesting permission to visit his own country. The king granted his wish and provided elephants, horses, jewels, and money for the journey.

As he passed through his brother-in-law's country, the king, now humbled, invited him to stay. The prince revealed his identity to his sister and forgave their past mistreatment. He gave them gifts before continuing his journey.

Finally, the prince returned home. His parents, now blind from weeping, were overjoyed to hear of his arrival. "Let him come in and put his hands upon our eyes, and we shall see again," they said. The prince entered, laid his hands on their eyes, and miraculously, they could see again.

The prince recounted his adventures and how he had been saved by the advice he purchased from the Brahmin's wife. The king, filled with regret for sending his son away, welcomed him back with open arms. Peace and joy returned to their lives, and they all lived happily ever after.