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MORAL STORIES
39 Vipul and Vijan
In the forests of Pratisthän, there lived a hermit well known for predicting future events. Many times the people of the village gathered around him asking for predictions, even though the hermit did not always like to satisfy their curiosity. The hermit kept moving deeper and deeper into the jungle until people stopped looking for him. Two friends, Vipul and Vijan got lost in the jungle on their way to Pratisthän. They feared for their lives in the dark and looked for shelter. Late in the night, they saw a hut and approached it with fear and uneasiness. They peeped into the hut and saw a hermit deep in meditation. They assumed that he was the hermit known for his predictions. They waited until the hermit completed his meditation and then told him their story about getting lost in the forest.
The hermit heard their story and offered them fruits. The compassionate hermit told them to rest. The next morning the hermit requested one of his disciples to show them the way to the village. However, before Vipul and Vijan left, they folded their hands and asked the hermit to tell them their future. The hermit declined politely, telling them that it was not advisable to know their future and sometimes predictions may prove to be wrong. Both friends insisted and at last, the hermit told them their future. He looked at Vipul and told him he would become a king within a year while Vijan would die at the hands of an assassin during the same time.
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Vipul and Vijan asking a hermit about their future
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