Coins from Apples

Gunawati’s Greed

In a certain village lived an old lady named Gunawati. She had enough money to lead a comfortable life, yet she was such a miser that she neither ate well nor contributed a single paisa to charity.

In her compound stood an apple tree with fruits of excellent quality. Gunawati guarded the tree jealously, plucking the ripe fruits to sell to the villagers or at the weekly market. She never gave away even one fruit for free and would not allow children to collect even an over-ripe fruit that had fallen. If a child approached the tree stealthily, she would pelt stones at him or her.

As a result, the villagers hated Gunawati, believing that it was inauspicious to see her face in the morning.

The Daring Plan

Sudhir, the son of the village headman, once visited during his school holidays with a few friends. They dared to climb Gunawati’s apple tree, thinking she would be napping. However, she was as alert as ever. She rushed out of her hut with a catapult and shouted, “Get off the tree immediately, or I will strike!”

The boys had no choice but to jump down and run away. This humiliation struck hard at Sudhir’s pride since he was the one who led the group. Determined to teach her a lesson, Sudhir proclaimed his intentions to his friends, but they were unimpressed, further adding to his humiliation.

The Scheme Unfolds

The next day, Sudhir had to return to his school hostel, but he couldn’t shake off his embarrassment. He thought of revenge but struggled to devise a plan. His dear friend Shyam noticed his changed demeanor and inquired about it. When Sudhir revealed his troubles with Gunawati, Shyam laughed and assured him they would teach her a lesson.

Magic was Shyam’s hobby, and he devised a clever scheme that Sudhir liked. A month later, during a week-long holiday, Shyam accompanied Sudhir back to his village.

The Mendicant’s Arrival

One morning, Gunawati heard a knock on her door. Upon opening it, she found a mendicant and his disciple standing there.

“I don’t give alms to anybody,” Gunawati shouted, but before she could close the door, the mendicant said, “We are not here to ask for alms, child! We have come at the instruction of our Himalayan guru, who was also your guru in your previous birth. The guru believes you wish for wealth, and here is a parcel of sacred ash. Sprinkle it around the foot of your apple tree, and in three days, gold coins will grow inside the apples. We will come again to show you how to gather them.”

Surprised and delighted, Gunawati accepted the sacred ash as the strangers left.

The Gold Coin Miracle

Three days passed, and the strangers returned. Gunawati welcomed them with enthusiasm. The mendicant brought out a knife, recited a mantra, and cut an apple in half, revealing a dazzling gold coin inside. He repeated the miracle with another apple. “Remember the mantra,” he instructed, “pluck all your ripe fruits before dark. At night, recite the mantra and cut all the fruits in halves. Do not rush to collect the coins until you have cut all the fruits. Most importantly, recite the mantra correctly.”

As the mendicant and his disciple prepared to leave, Gunawati offered to cook for them, but they declined, stating they would only take the two coins from the first fruits as a token.

A Lesson Learned

Later that evening, Gunawati plucked all the ripe fruits. After a hasty dinner, she began cutting them open, but there were no coins inside. Confused, she examined each half repeatedly and sighed, “I must have recited the mantra incorrectly.”

With all the fruits in pieces and unable to sell them, she decided to distribute them among the village children. In the morning, she called a few children from the nearby ground and shared the apples, bringing them great joy. Witnessing their happiness made her feel delighted, and she muttered to herself, “There is much happiness in making others happy!”

As word spread, parents came to thank her for her kindness, and she shared more apples with them.

The Revelation

Eventually, Sudhir and Shyam, posing as the mendicant and disciple, revealed the truth behind the gold coins. “It’s simple,” explained Shyam. “I glued two gold-colored coins to the handle of the knife, making it appear as though coins emerged from the apples. Anyone can do this with a bit of practice.”

A year later, Sudhir and Shyam confessed their trick to Gunawati, who had transformed completely by then. She laughed and said, “You did so much good for me!”

The Story of Einstein

In a different tale, the young Einstein, before becoming famous for his Theory of Relativity, attended a symposium at a university. Bored by the discussions, he slipped away to a nearby restaurant.

An old boy greeted him and presented the menu. Realizing he had forgotten his spectacles, Einstein asked the boy to read it for him. The boy looked at him sympathetically and whispered, “I too am as illiterate as you are!”