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SAHASRAMALLA
Sahasramalla, the son of a merchant, lived in the city of Kausambi His life was a pile of sinful deeds. He was an expert in cheating, telling lies and stealing He spoke several languages and wore diverse dresses to suit each occasion. In brief, he was a complete rogue.
There was a jewel-merchant named Ratnasar who lived in the same city Dressing like a merchant, Sahasramalla came one day to his shop and made enquiries about precious stones. Ratnasar spread a part of his stock before him, but Sahasramalla was not satisfied He wanted to see more. Ratnasar had no doubt about his genuineness and he took him to be a substantial customer who had come to buy wholesale So he displayed his entire stock Sahasramalla appeared to be satisfied and said:
"My dear sir! I shall take the entire stock but I shall pay the price to-morrow."
On hearing this, Ratnasar withdrew the stock saying,
"Sır! I don't sell on credit "
Now, during the short time he was in the shop, he made a close observation of the interior. At night, he slipped into the shop through the sky-light At the sound of something falling, Ratnasar's son, who was sleeping inside, woke up and caught the thief's leg The thief tried to escape, and there ensued a severe tussle, in which the thief was severely wounded. Then the merchant's son took pity on him and let him go. The thief returned home and narrated the sad experience to his mother. On hearing him, the mother said,
"My son! Suffering is the thief's lot. It cannot be that you will usurp another's treasure, and yet remain unhurt. Anyone who is afraid of suffering is unworthy of this pro
