Omen

Ramaiah had a strong belief in omens; he would wait for an auspicious time to leave home or attend to important tasks. One day, he set out on a business errand. However, after walking only ten paces, he heard someone sneeze, which he took as a bad omen. Immediately, he turned back to return home.

Just then, he saw his neighbor, Krishna Sastri, hurriedly coming down the road. Ramaiah knew that Sastri also believed in omens and couldn’t understand why he was leaving his house despite the apparent bad sign of sneezing. If it wasn’t a bad omen for Sastri, why should it affect Ramaiah? Pondering this, he decided to continue his journey instead of heading back home.

Ramaiah’s mission turned out to be a success. After all, the sneeze hadn’t been a bad omen at all, and he heaved a sigh of relief. When he met Krishna Sastri later, he asked, “The other day, you came out unmindful of the sneeze. I too went about my work and returned satisfied.”

Sastri looked crestfallen as he replied, “What can I say, my friend? A street dog had entered my house, and I was chasing it away. Do you think I would have left my home after hearing the sneeze? It was a bad day for me because…”