Mahashraman Mudit Kumar
There is a region called 'Chhappan Bagarh'. Probably it is the name of some part of Kutch. It is said that gifting a donkey is a must there in all girls' marriages belonging to affluent families. It saves the girl from carrying water pitchers on her head. One of the money-lenders there, followed the same practice. Along with other articles, he included a donkey also among the wedding gifts of his daughter. The young bride came to her in-law's house. The servant of the father-in-law, began, to use the donkey for fetching water, but the latter was such a rogue that it would often break the earthen pitchers by kicking them with its legs and at other times would sit down on the way back and would refuse to budge an inch. The servant used to get enraged because every time he had to buy new pitchers and yet the water would not reach home.
He regretfully told his master, 'This is a very stupid donkey. It breaks new pitchers daily. How long shall I continue to buy pitchers like this? The wealthy merchant replied, "If it is so, carry metal pitchers so that there is no possibility of their breaking."
The servant acted accordingly. However, the donkey began rolling around on the way back so that even if the vessels did not break at least the water in them got spilt. At last the servant told the merchant that he would prefer to carry water on his shoulders to carrying it on the donkey. He was tired of beating it. All the metal vessels got dented and still the water could not reach home. He did not know what to do with that donkey. The merchant had a tender disposition. He said, "Cut a small part of its ear and set it free so that it will go and graze according to its will."
The servant did what he was asked to and set it free. The donkey could not have wished for anything better. It got fresh green grass growing on the edges of the pond to graze and the sweet water of the pond to drink. It thought that its roguery had paid off. Else, it would have had to carry burden all its life and get beating in addition too. Feeling free and unrestrained, it began grazing in green patches and drinking sweet water. It rolled over sand dunes of the village and grew fat. Every pore of its body conveyed the feeling that roguery was a very useful device.
One day a few Turkish Bohras were going somewhere in a bullock cart. They stopped on the dyke of the pond to rest and began cooking meals. The bullocks were let loose to graze. It is said that the bullocks were uncle and nephew. Just then the rogue donkey also came to the same spot and started teaching roguery to the bullocks. "O foolish bullocks' said the donkey, "why do you keep carrying burden?" If you go by my advice, a little effort can make you free for life." Both, the bullocks said, "How?" The donkey related the entire story of his roguery and added that even though it received thrashing for some time, ultimately it got such a complete freedom that its whole life had become restraint-free and it got rid of both burden and thrashing." The (nephew) bullock did not relish its story and said, "You rogue, why you are teaching these vicious things to us? What importance has the life of an animal without a master? Our master takes full care of us by supplying all our needs of fodder, water etc. This is a year of good rains. But what would become of animals like you when there is water and fodder famine?" Thus the (nephew bullock succeeded in ignoring its bad advice but the (uncle) bullock was impressed by what the donkey had said. It asked the donkey, "What should be done then?" The rogue donkey said, "Look, after your master has harnessed you, go some distance and then sit down suddenly and dilate your eyes. By, repeating it two or three times you will be set free for ever and then the two of us shall lead a comfortable and happy life on the dyke of the pond.
Meanwhile the Bohras had finished their meals. They put the articles on the cart and harnessed the bullocks. After they had gone some distance and as they were goading the animals, the (uncle) bullock suddenly fell down and dilated its eyes. The master did not 'understand how it happened. His bullocks, irrespective of the burden they were made to carry, never threw away the harness. How did that bullock sit down so suddenly? With great effort people put the bullock back on its legs but after sometime it again sat down. When it repeated this action several times, the merchant thought that the bullock was having stomach ache or else it would not have behaved the way it did. He concluded that its death was imminent. Thinking that once dead its meat would be useless, the Bohras killed it by stabbing it in the stomach. The carcass was loaded on the same carriage. But how could one bullock carry so much load? All this while the donkey was loitering here and there waiting for its companion (the slain bullock). Just then the Bohras happened to see it and wondered why it could not be harnessed in place of the slain bullock, since it looked like an animal without a master. They did as they thought and forcibly tied the donkey so firmly to the harness that it could not get loose even a little. On top of it they whipped it so hard that it began running fast. Seeing its plight the (nephew) bullock spoke to him satirically thus:
"O wicked donkey you got my uncle slain and now you are running "as fast as a storm. Why don't you behave like a rogue now?”
The donkey replied: "Roguery should be practiced only there where there is at least a modicum of religiosity. The owner of this cart is so bad that he would slay me too if I were to behave as a rogue.
The lesson is that bad company yields bad results.
