The Merchant’s Adventure

A Merchant’s Ambition

In days of yore, there was a merchant in the city of Vaishali. He earned a comfortable living, but he was desirous of becoming richer. In fact, he often dreamed of becoming the richest man in the city overnight, if possible!

Always contemplating various ways to increase his wealth, one morning he heard that the house of one of his neighbors had been burgled. The neighbor, a prosperous merchant, had lost nearly a million in cash and valuables to the burglars.

A Dangerous Scheme

Suddenly, an idea flashed in the merchant’s mind: if only he could burgle the royal treasury, he could live the rest of his life in peace and happiness. To begin this plot, he needed to learn the tricks of the trade.

One day, while conversing with a beggar, he learned that a certain deserted temple outside the town was known for being a haunt of burglars at night. The merchant decided to check it out and proceeded to the temple in the early hours of the night.

Into the Night

He stretched himself on one side of the veranda and pretended to have fallen asleep. With a pounding heart, he waited to hear the sounds of burglars. From time to time, he opened his eyes, hoping no one would arrive. Even the footsteps of stray dogs made him anxious. Time passed, and it was soon midnight.

Eventually, several burglars gathered there. They spoke amongst themselves about their exploits, and the merchant realized that one must have courage and presence of mind to succeed as a burglar. He began to visit the temple every night.

An Unexpected Proposal

The burglars grew accustomed to the merchant lying there and concluded that he must be a homeless tramp. One night, two burglars approached him and said, “Look here, brother, some of our comrades have fallen ill, and two have gone to another part of town for some important information. It’s not proper for just two of us to go out for work. If you give us your company, we can spend the night profitably and promise you an equal share!”

The merchant had been waiting for such an opportunity and eagerly accepted their proposal. The burglars dressed him like a rustic, changed his hairstyle, and made him wear a turban. Then they put a load on his head and handed him a piece of cake.

Fear and Doubts

As the merchant began to feel uneasy about his transformation, he realized he was becoming a different man. He could not use his own name while participating in this operation, and it was a novel experience for him.

“Follow us. Do as we do. Do not fear,” counseled the burglars. However, the merchant couldn’t help but feel scared. What if they were caught? His heartbeat grew faster as he brooded over this question.

Unexpected Consequences

Suddenly, he stepped on a dog. The dog barked furiously and ran away. The merchant threw the piece of cake he held to calm it down. The taller of the two burglars said in a suppressed but rough tone, “My dear brother, you are not on your way to a feast at a king’s palace. There is danger at every step. Walk with caution.”

On the other side, he hoped that the barking of the dog had not been heard by any guards patrolling the city. Addressing the merchant, he warned, “Be quiet. We will ensure your safety.”

Hardly had he finished speaking when a guard mounted on a horse confronted them. “Don’t you know that it’s forbidden to be out at this hour?” he demanded. The merchant started shivering, feeling his blood run cold.

A Close Call

The second burglar stepped forward and explained, “We are villagers from Rampur. We came to sell cakes in the suburbs. While returning, we lost our way in the city. If you kindly show us an inn, we can pass the night there and leave for our village early in the morning.”

“This fellow seems to have fallen asleep,” the guard observed, pointing at the merchant. The burglars laughed, saying, “He’s just tired from walking with us.”

The guard too laughed, directing them to a nearby inn. “Mind you, I will visit the inn in an hour to be sure that you are there.”

Self-Realization

As they advanced, the merchant grew disgusted with himself. “I thought of gaining peace and happiness through burglary. But all my peace and happiness are lost the moment I step out to commit this crime. My condition will certainly be worse after I have done it!” he told himself.

Now his only desire was to escape. Soon, they arrived behind a palatial house. The two burglars instructed the merchant to stand guard and warned him to clap his hands twice if he saw a group approaching before hiding.

But the merchant couldn’t bear it any longer and ran away as soon as the two burglars were out of sight. Through narrow lanes, he reached his house, quickly changed his clothing, and went to bed.

A Shocking Morning

Early in the morning, his wife woke him up and said, “Last night, two burglars were caught red-handed while trying to steal from a nobleman’s house. One of them tried to escape and was killed by the guards. The other one is being led through the street to the magistrate’s court.”

The merchant rushed outside and recognized the burglar being dragged along, whipped intermittently. His wife and child followed, crying for him.

“Till now, I did not know what peace and happiness I was living in!” he murmured to himself.