A Debt of Honour

Three hundred years ago, there lived in the great city of Srirangam a famous jeweler named Anand. Not only was Anand an expert on precious stones, but he was also an extremely honest man in business, which paid handsomely, for he was a very rich man.

One day, Raghu, a prosperous merchant from the city of Badami, called on Anand with the intention of buying one or two gems as an investment.

When Raghu was shown Anand’s collection of precious stones, his eyes fastened on a large square emerald, a stone of great beauty and radiance. He decided then and there that this was the jewel he must possess.

“How much is this stone?” asked Raghu, pointing to the emerald.

“Ten thousand pieces of silver,” replied Anand.

Raghu didn’t haggle. He emptied his bag of coins onto the floor and quickly counted his silver, but when he had finished, he was far short of ten thousand pieces.

“I’m afraid I have only eight thousand pieces,” he said. “But if you will accept my word, I will send you the balance as soon as I return home to Badami.”

Anand, who was a good judge of character, readily agreed, and Raghu departed, happy to be the possessor of this rare emerald.

Riding back home, Raghu couldn’t resist the temptation of taking out his emerald and feasting his eyes on its brilliance. He was nearing home when two armed robbers rushed at him from each side of the road. Raghu was no coward, and drawing his sword, he struck the first ruffian before he could deliver a blow. The other robber, armed with a dagger, tried to drag Raghu out of his saddle, and when this failed, he stabbed Raghu in the back.

Raghu somehow managed to spur his horse to a gallop, but weakened by the loss of blood, he collapsed upon reaching his home. His son, Padmanath, horrified at the sight of his father, sent everyone rushing for doctors. But Raghu, knowing his life was ebbing away, called his son to his side.

“Listen carefully, my son,” he managed to say. “I owe the sum of two thousand pieces of silver to the merchant Anand of Srirangam for the emerald I purchased. You must pay this debt.”

The following evening, Raghu died, but afterwards, it took several months to settle his affairs, for Raghu, in his extravagant mode of living, never troubled to keep an account of his debts or the monies owed to him. When the lawyers had finished their task, Padmanath, the son, was amazed to find that he was virtually penniless. As things stood, there certainly wasn’t sufficient money to pay the merchant Anand the two thousand pieces of silver.

Padmanath was determined to pay his father’s debt and decided to go to Srirangam to sell the emerald back to Anand, the merchant. But when he reached Srirangam, he was horrified to find that an uprising had taken place, and the city was occupied by rebel forces, who were plundering the city and attacking anyone they felt was against the rebel cause.

Avoiding the groups of soldiers roaming the streets, Padmanath made his way to Anand’s house, only to discover it had been burned to the ground. An old servant was sitting in the ruins, tearfully recounting that Anand had been killed by the rebels, but his son Raju and his family had managed to escape. The old servant had no idea as to where they could be found.

Before Padmanath could ask any more questions, a group of rebel soldiers came running along the street and pounced on the two men. The old servant was struck down where he stood, and Padmanath was brutally beaten and searched for loot.

When one of the soldiers found the precious emerald, they started arguing among themselves over the jewel and forgot their victim lying in the road.

Eventually, Padmanath managed to get away from the war-torn city, and he firmly vowed that although he had lost the emerald, one day he would pay the debt owing to Anand.

Twenty years passed, and in that time, Padmanath had managed to build up a flourishing business. But hard work had taken its toll, and he now lay close to death.

The unpaid debt to Anand’s kin still troubled him, and one night, shortly before his death, he told his son Sekhar of the debt that had to be paid.

“I have tried for years to find Anand’s son,” he said. “Only yesterday, I heard that he was thought to be living in Satara. Go there, my boy, if you find Anand’s son and pay this debt of honor.”

Shortly after his father’s death, Sekhar traveled to Satara, where he learned that Anand’s son Raju had opened a jewelry business in the old bullion market, but he had died several years ago.

Going to the bullion market, Sekhar was directed to the house where Raju’s family lived. Here he was greeted by a young man who said he was Vishnu, the son of Raju.

“I have traveled from Badami regarding an old debt of two thousand pieces of silver,” said Sekhar.

Vishnu looked crestfallen. “I am afraid your journey has been in vain,” he replied mournfully. “For the past two years, I have had to pay my father’s debts, and today I do not possess one piece of silver, let alone two thousand pieces.”

“I have not come to collect a debt,” said Sekhar. “This is money owed to your grandfather for more than twenty years. Now I have come to pay my family’s debt.”

At first, Vishnu refused to even consider accepting payment of such an old debt, especially when he heard how the emerald had been stolen during the rebellion in Srirangam. After the two young men had discussed the problem for some time, Vishnu came up with a bright suggestion: “Let us start a business as partners with this two thousand pieces of silver. I am sure we shall succeed.”

Sekhar was glad to have found a friend, and so the two young men started a business, and it grew into a great trading enterprise.