The thief and the brahmins

There was a Brahmin in a certain town, who was a thief. It was believed that he had become a thief due to ill actions in his previous life. One day, four Brahmins arrived in this town from a far-off place, to sell some wares. They had a successful business and earned a handful of money. The thief watched them making money, and thought of stealing the money from them. He approached them as a friend, and soon won their confidence by quoting eloquently from the Holy Scriptures. He requested them to appoint him as their helping hand, to which they agreed.

One day, the Brahmins had sold all their wares. They decided that it would not be proper for them to travel with all the money. So, they purchased jewels with all the money that they had earned. Then, they cut open their thighs and hid the jewels inside. With the help of a special ointment, they healed their cuts. The Brahmins were moved by his emotions, and decided to take him with them, and the five of them started the journey. Thus, the Brahmin-thief made a firm resolution and said to the chief, "O Chief, you believe we have treasure hidden in our bodies. But it will be a mistake to kill all of us to pay for the crow's misunderstanding! I offer you myself. You may kill me, cut open my body to the very bones and see if you find any treasure." The chief agreed, and thus, the Brahmin-thief sacrificed himself. The tribesmen looked into every bit of his body, but found nothing.

Moral: Better an intelligent enemy than a foolish friend