The Clay Horse

The story illustrates the Kural's metaphor: just as adding water to a wet clay vessel to preserve it actually causes it to collapse, using ill-gotten wealth to serve a noble cause (like a minister protecting a king) leads to ultimate failure. (For a minister) to protect (his king) with wealth obtained by foul means is like preserving a vessel of wet clay by filling it with water

8–14 yr 2 min medium

Wealth obtained through dishonest means will eventually destroy the very thing it is meant to protect.

In a peaceful village lived a young boy named Arjun. Arjun loved making beautiful sculptures out of clay. One day, he decided to make a magnificent horse to win a village competition. However, he didn't have enough clay and decorations. Instead of asking his father for more, he secretly took some money that was meant for the village temple fund, thinking he would return it later. With this 'borrowed' money, he bought the finest materials. The horse looked stunning, but because the foundation was built on dishonesty, Arjun felt uneasy. To make the clay smoother and easier to shape, he kept adding extra water to the sculpture. He thought the water would help, but the excess moisture made the clay weak and unstable. During the final presentation, as soon as the judges touched the horse, it slumped and crumbled into a muddy mess. Arjun was heartbroken. His grandfather, seeing his tears, sat him down and said, 'Arjun, trying to build something great using dishonest means is like pouring water into a vessel made of wet clay to keep it from drying. You might think you are helping it, but you are actually destroying its strength from within.' Arjun realized that true success can only be built on a foundation of honesty.

The Clay Horse

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