True and False

Two Neighbors

Nilkantha and Mukund lived side by side. Mukund was a good-natured fellow, but Nilkantha was always jealous of his neighbor.

Daughters of Marriageable Age

Both men had daughters of marriageable age. Mukund was the first to finalize his daughter’s marriage with an eligible groom. Notably, the groom’s father did not demand any dowry, saying that whatever Mukund could give would suffice.

The First Wedding Plan

After a few days, Nilkantha negotiated a match for his daughter with a gentleman who had a well-qualified son. However, this gentleman insisted that the bride must be given a pair of diamond earrings. Nilkantha reluctantly agreed but realized that genuine diamonds were too costly. He ended up purchasing imitation diamond earrings and warned his wife to keep the truth a secret.

A Jealous Scheme

Nilkantha felt disheartened that Mukund would celebrate his daughter’s marriage without any expensive presents. One day, he approached the father of Mukund’s future son-in-law and slyly suggested, “Brother! Why don’t you demand a pair of diamond earrings from her father? Look at me; I am as poor as Mukund, yet I am going to adorn my daughter with diamond earrings!”

The Tables Turn

The suggestion worked. Mukund was soon informed that he would need to provide a pair of diamond earrings for his daughter. Feeling despondent, he, too, purchased imitation earrings.

The Gift of Real Diamonds

Meanwhile, Nilkantha’s wife wrote to her wealthy brother, expressing her misery over having to use fake diamonds. In response, her brother promptly sent her a pair of genuine diamond earrings. She chose not to mention this to her husband since they were not on good terms, and she discreetly hid the imitation earrings while keeping the genuine pair.

A Key Exchange

When Nilkantha learned that Mukund had been forced to buy diamond earrings, he was delighted, mistakenly believing they were genuine. He decided to visit Mukund, saying, “Brother! I hear you bought a pair of diamond earrings. I also have a pair. Can I see what you have?”

Mukund brought out his small casket of earrings. At that moment, Nilkantha requested a glass of water. While Mukund was away, Nilkantha switched the earrings, placing his imitation ones in Mukund’s casket and taking Mukund’s genuine pair for himself, never realizing he was exchanging real diamonds for fakes.

The Wedding Day

The wedding day arrived, and Nilkantha welcomed the bridegroom’s party with great fanfare. However, among the guests was a diamond expert who examined the earrings and declared them fake. Nilkantha exclaimed, “How can that be? I bought the same type of earrings that Mukund did!”

The Revelation

Mukund was called to show his earrings, and the expert confirmed that they were indeed genuine. The father of Nilkantha’s future son-in-law became furious and almost left without allowing his son to marry. But Mukund intervened, saying, “Have patience, sir; it was I who mistakenly bought imitation earrings. They were exchanged with Nilkantha’s by error. Please take this pair and let the marriage proceed.”

A Happy Ending

Mukund’s honesty and goodwill prevailed, and the marriage took place without further trouble. When the father of Mukund’s future son-in-law learned of this, he was moved by Mukund’s integrity and decided to withdraw his demand for diamond earrings.

Ultimately, both girls were happily married. From that day forward, Nilkantha became a changed man, filled with respect and gratitude for Mukund.