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NandiSootra
All the three princes visited their teacher. When they arrived the teacher was preparing to take his bath before going to eat. He greeted his students and asked them to fetch a washed and dried shatika (or sheetashati or dhoti - about five meters length of cloth of one meter width wrapped around the lower half of the body by Indian male as part of his conventional dress). One of the princes said - "The shatika is damp." The second one said - "The straw is long." And third - "The curlew bird that was earlier moving in clock-wise direction is now moving in anti-clockwise direction." When the teacher heard these irrelevant statements from his able students he smelled a rat. He pondered over and understood that his large purse has made someone his enemy and his students are secretly giving him a warning. He at once took leave of his students and furtively left for his village before the announced time of his departure. The Vatnayikt Buddhi of the princes saved the life of their teacher.
14. Rain-water - A merchant had gone abroad since long. In his absence his wife asked her maid to invite a young man to satisfy her carnal desires. She also called a barber to improve the looks of the shabby young man. The barber gave him the full treatment - haircut, pedicure, manicure, bath, etc. and made him attractive. Coincidentally it rained heavily that night. Late into the night when the gigolo got thirsty he got up, went to the window, cupped his hands, and sipped the rain water falling in a stream from the balustrade. On the balustrade was lying a dead snake that made this stream of rain-water poisonous. Soon the young man died.
The lady panicked and at once called the servants of her confidence. She instructed them to throw the corpse in the forlorn ruins of a temple. Next day when some people saw the corpse and reported, the police started investigating. The officer in charge saw that the dead man had been freshly hair-dressed and manicured. He at once summoned all the barbers in the town and one by one askedthem to recognise the corpse. One of the barbers recognised the dead body and informed that he had done the haircut of that man when he was called by the maid of the merchant's wife. The police apprehended the maid and out of fear she revealed everything. With the help of Vainayiki Buddhi the officer solved the case.
15. Theft of cattle - In a village once lived a very unlucky man. He spoiled whatever work he took in hand and always, invited trouble. Once he asked for a pair of oxen from his friend for use in his plough. After completing his work when he went to return the oxen to his friend, the friend was taking his meals. He left the oxen in the yard and left without informing the friend, presuming that his friend had seen him returning the oxen. His bad luck that the oxen somehow came out of the yard and someone stole them. When the owner of the oxen did not find the oxen in the yard he came to this luckless man and wanted his oxen back. When the luckless told him that the oxen were returned to his yard before him, a dispute arose. The owner of oxen took the luckless along and left for the city to take the matter to the king.
On the way they saw a rider approaching them. All of a sudden the horse was startled. It threw the rider and galloped. The rider shouted - "Some one hit the horse with a staff and stop' it."
The luckless had a staff in his hand. With the intention of extending a helping hand to the fallen rider the luckleis stepped ahead and hit the approaching horse with his staff. Unfortunately the staff hit the horse at a delicate spot and it died on the spot. The owner of the horse got infuriated and joined the two in order to get the unfortunate man punished by the king. Now the three proceeded towards the city. By the time they reached the city, it was already night time and the city gates Aagam- 44 -NandiSootra ~79~ Compiled by- Deepratnasagar
