The Story of Syamalaka
A very wealthy merchant named Iswara
lived in a city called Vikantakapuram. One day, his four sons-in-law arrived
from Ujjain with their families to enjoy the hospitality of their
father-in-law. Iswara did everything to make them happy and contented. Six
months passed but the sons-in-law did not show any sign of leaving for
Ujjain. Iswara was angry but could not directly tell his sons-in-law that
they had overstayed.
One day, the father-in-law told his wife,
“These guys are enjoying their stay here and are reluctant to leave. I am
sure they will not leave unless we offend them in some way. Tomorrow, when
they come for dinner, don’t offer them water to wash their feet. They will
regard this as an insult and will certainly leave.”
Iswara’s wife did, as her husband wanted
her to do.
The first son-in-law was offended because
water was not ready for him to wash his feet and left in a huff.
The second son-in-law was not happy with
the place assigned to him at the table and left ranting.
The third complained about the quality of
food and packed his bags.
Syamalaka, the fourth son-in-law,
however, did not mind these insults and stayed on. The father-in-law had,
therefore, to throw him out of his house by force.
Moral of
the Story :
It is better to throw wicked person by force, rather not to let live with. |