Good and Evil

Once upon a time, two brothers lived. One, who was rich, and the other poor. One day, as they were deep in conversation, the poor brother said, “Cruel as life is, still it’s better to do good than evil.” The rich brother dismissed the idea, believing that there was no such thing as good in the world now, but only evil. He insisted that doing good will get you nowhere. But the poor brother remained steadfast, insisting it ‘pays to do good.’

This resulted in a wager between the two. They agreed to ask the first three people they met for their opinion. If the majority agreed with the poor brother, all of the rich brother’s possessions would be his. But if they sided with the rich brother, the poor brother would lose everything he had to him.

The Wager

They set out on their journey. Along the way, they met a man returning from seasonal work. Upon being asked whether it’s better to live by good or evil, the man replied that it’s better to do evil because there is no living honestly. Disheartened, they continued on their journey and the encounters with subsequent people resulted in similar responses. This ultimately led to the rich brother winning the wager.

Life Thereafter

The poor brother was deeply grieved. The rich brother took away all his humble belongings, leaving him only his hut. With no food, the poor brother begged for flour from the rich brother, who agreed only on condition of blinding his brother. Desperate, the poor brother agreed. A similar situation arose again, leaving him entirely blind, and with a little more mouldy flour.

The Banyan Tree

The blind man decided to sit under a large banyan tree by the road. He hoped that wandering passersby might offer him some food. One evening his wife failed to pick him up. Lost and confused, he ended up in a forest where he unexpectedly heard a conversation between evil spirits. Unseen, he decoded the secrets of his plight, including a cure for his blindness via the dew accumulated under the tree. Miraculously, he regained his sight.

The Return of Sight and Wealth

Armed with the secrets of the evil spirits, he managed to not only regain his sight but also bring water to a waterless village and heal a blind princess. He returned home with gifts from the villages he had rescued and was welcomed with joy by his wife, who had presumed him dead. Impressed and jealous by his poor brother’s success, the rich brother attempted to replicate what the poor brother did. However, the evil spirits discovered and devoured him.