There was a poor farmer. Although he worked hard, his fields were barren. One day, while resting under a tree, he saw a snake in a hole in the tree. He thought, ‘This snake must be the guardian of the field. If I serve him, my field will become fertile.’ The next day, he brought a bowl of milk and said, “O Snake! Please bless me.” The snake drank the milk and left him a gold coin. This went on daily. One day, the farmer left for the city. He told his son, “Feed the snake daily.” The son fed the snake and when it left him a gold coin, he thought, ‘Tomorrow I shall kill the snake and take all the gold coins.’ The next day, while offering milk, he hit the snake with the stick. The snake escaped, but he bit the farmer’s son and punished him for being greedy.
The Farmer and the Snake
