A wandering youth Keshav once met Bholu, an illiterate villager, who knew how to perform a miracle. Every day Bholu would go into the forest, stand under a mango tree and utter a charm. The tree would immediately become heavy with fruit. Keshav the youth fell at Bholu’s feet, and begged him to teach him the charm. The man reluctantly agreed but warned him, “You must never use the charm to satisfy your greed. Moreover, the charm will only work as long as you do not tell a lie.” As soon as Keshav was back in his village he repeated the charm several times daily and got large quantities of delicious mangoes. These he sold in the market and in few months he became very rich. Tenali heard of the miracle. He summoned Keshav and asked, “Where did you learn your charm?” The proud youth, unwilling to confess that he had learnt it from a man of a lower caste, replied, “O Tenali, I learnt it after much study under a group of great scholars in a famous far-away university!” “Well, perform the miracle in front of us,” ordered Tenali. Tenali, his family and a crowd of villagers and officers followed the youth into the royal orchard. Keshav selected a big mango tree and recited the charm. But nothing happened, for he had told a lie. Greatly humiliated, Keshav confessed the truth to Tenali.
The Mango Charm
