The Three Promises

Once upon a time a merchant was traveling through a dense forest. 

At that time he saw a well in the middle of the forest. 

He was shocked when he saw inside. He saw a tiger, a snake and a man inside the well. 

The three of them pleaded with the merchant to let him out of the well.

The merchant brought out some ropes and finally helped all the three out of the well. 

The two animals profusely thanked the merchant and went their way. 

The man who had been stuck inside the well was a goldsmith and he asked the merchant to visit him any time and promised to help him.

On the next trip, the merchant remembered the promises that he had received. 

He first went to the house of the tiger. 

The tiger received the merchant happily and treated the merchant very well. When the merchant was about to leave the tiger gave the merchant some precious ornaments. 

The merchant did not know what to do with it . 

But he realized that the goldsmith would be able to help him.

So the merchant took the ornaments and went to the goldsmith. 

The goldsmith received the merchant warmly and took good care of him. 

But when the goldsmith saw the jewels which the merchant had brought with him the goldsmith was stunned. 

The goldsmith knew that the jewels belonged to the king's younger brother who had gone missing in the forest a few years ago. The king had not been aware of what had happened to his younger brother and he had promised a reward to anyone who told him the fate of the younger brother.

The goldsmith quietly took the Jewels to the king and showed The king all the jewels. 

The king saw it and the king reached the normal assumption that the man who had brought all the jewels to the goldsmith was the King's younger brother's killer.

Without giving the merchant a chance to explain himself, the king threw the merchant in prison. 

The merchant did not know what to do.

Finally the merchant thought of the snake whom he had saved from the well. 

The snake came to the prison and came up with a very unique idea. 

The snake bit the Queen of the kingdom. The Queen fell ill because of the poison and nobody knew how to cure it. 

The merchant in the prison offered to save the Queen. 

Having no other choice, the king took the merchant's help and brought the merchant to look at the queen. 

Then the merchant saw the Queen and requested that the others leave him alone with the Queen.

When the Queen and the merchant were alone the snake came to the king's queen's room and reversed all the poison that it had injected in the Queen. 

When the king came back to his wife’s room, he saw that his wife was getting better and he was overjoyed.

He asked the merchant for anything that he wanted. 

The merchant just told the king his side of the story and how he had come upon the king's younger brother’s ornaments. 

The king heard the story and he realized his mistake.

He apologized to the merchant and put the goldsmith in prison. 

The merchant was free and this time he realized the importance of the promises that had been made to him, and realized that he could trust only the right people and not everyone.

From the Panchatantra