Once, there was a merchant who had two sons. The two sons were called Dharmbuddhi and Dushtabuddhi. The two sons left home to earn wealth and earned two thousand coins. After that the two brothers returned to their city. Before going further, the two brothers hid the coins at the feet of a huge tree.
Then the two sons went to their father’s house and lived there with their father.
One day, Dushtabuddhi went by himself to the foot of the tree and there he dug up all the money and took it for himself.
A month later, Dushtabuddhi went to Dharmabuddhi. “I have some expenses, brother. So let us dig up the money and divide the money between us.”
Dharmabuddhi had no problems with this.
The two brothers went to the tree and dug it up.
However there were no coins there.
Dushtabuddhi was angry. “You have taken away the coins. That belongs to both of us. Give me my share.”
Dharmabuddhi shook his head. “No, I have not taken it. You must have taken them.”
There was a fierce quarrel between the two brothers after this.
They both took the matter to the king’s court.
The king heard both sides.
Then Dushtabuddhi suddenly added. “We kept the coins at the base of a tree. I am sure that the tree itself is a witness to what has happened. The tree will speak about what has happened between the two of us.”
The king and the court were astonished when they heard this, but they decided to let Dushtabuddhi prove his case in this manner.
Adapted from the Katha Sarith Sagara
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