Once, there lived a merchant named Arul who was known for his immense kindness. He always shared his wealth with those in need. However, fate took a cruel turn when a massive storm wrecked his merchant ships at sea, causing him to lose everything. His friends abandoned him during his darkest hours, and he was left with nothing but debts and heavy sorrow.
One night, Arul had a strange dream. An old sage appeared in his dream and handed him a small wooden stick. 'Tap this gently on my head,' the sage instructed. As soon as Arul did, the sage transformed into a pile of shimmering gold! Arul woke up feeling confused, thinking it was just a trick of his mind.
Later that day, a wandering worker came to Arul’s house. The worker was carrying a peculiar wooden staff. Remembering his dream, Arul curiously asked the man to repeat the action. To his absolute astonishment, the worker turned into pure gold! Arul was overwhelmed with joy and shared a portion of his newfound wealth with the worker to show his gratitude.
However, the worker’s heart was consumed by greed. Instead of being thankful, he thought, 'If one man can become gold, why not everyone?' He ran through the village, tapping people on the head with his stick, hoping to turn them into gold. The villagers were terrified and angry. They caught the man and brought him before the King. After hearing the truth, the King praised Arul's honesty but ordered the greedy worker to be imprisoned for his reckless and selfish actions.
Moral
Greed leads to ruin; be content with what you have.
