Once there was an ascetic. He lived on the Himalayas near a lake. One day, he was bathing in the lake. Suddenly, a water nymph came out of the lake and saw him. She immediately fell in love with him. She thought, ‘Why is such a handsome man leading such a hard life? He should enjoy the worldly pleasures.’ She tried to impress him by singing a beautiful song. But the man remained unimpressed. Then she went up to him and said, “Young man, why are you wasting your life in such hardships when the pleasures of the world await you. You can always become an ascetic when you are old.” The ascetic replied, “My dear lady, I can do that but who knows whether I will live to grow old or not.” Hearing these words, the nymph sighed and realised that the ascetic would not be deviated and disappeared.
The Tempting Nymph
