Once, a barber and a scholar were friends. They travelled a lot. One day, while travelling, their ship sank. The two floated on a wooden plank and reached an island. On the island, the barber hunted a wild animal and roasted it. He offered the roasted meat to the scholar but the scholar refused. Instead, he sat down and meditated. Impressed with his devotion, the sea spirit came out of the sea. It offered to take the scholar ashore on a huge ship full of precious stones. The scholar agreed but he wanted the spirit to take his friend as well. The spirit refused saying the barber had not led a pious life and had committed many sins. The scholar thought for a moment and then said to the spirit, “Give the benefits of my piety to my friend and take him ashore.” The sea spirit was surprised and happy to see the scholar’s sacrifice. It agreed to take them both. Later, both became very rich.
The True Friend
