The Three Idiots
“Listen to this story,” smiled the betal as Vikram went to take possession of it.
Once there lived a poor Brahmin. He was a widower. And he had three sons. All the three were lazy and busy doing nothing. They were teenagers. The father did rituals and ceremonies and earned some money to feed the boys.
One day he called them and spoke up. “Look as long as I am alive, I will feed you. But after my time, who will look after you? It is time you learned something and earned your bread. Go and meet guru Gangadhar who is living in the neighboring village. I know him and I will give a letter to him.”
The three boys took the letter and set off. Guru Gangadhar kept them in his ashram and taught them everything that they ought to know. After about six months, the boys, who had been trained with various skills, thanked the guru and returned home.
The elder son said, “Our father will be delighted to see my talent. I have the capacity to put every disorderly thing in order…be it anything, men or machines.”
“Mine is a unique one. I can create anything that is deprived of. For instance, if you have a plate or a plantain leaf, I can create a nice tasty meal in no time,” declared the second son.
“I am above any physician. Physicians can only cure a disease, but can’t give life to the dead. But I can! I can revive a dead. All that I have to do is to sit and chant some mantras from the Vedic verses. You can see a dead man walking!” boasted the last son.
Thus, they were chatting and walking. On the way, there was a dense jungle. By then, it was evening. “It is not advisable to go through the forest at night. Let us rest here for the night and start tomorrow morning,” voiced the eldest son.
“Excellent idea!” beamed the other two.
They pitched a small tent and halted. The next morning, they resumed their journey on foot. They had some food pockets and fruits given by the guru at the ashram. They ate them for breakfast and proceeded.
That time, they sawbones and the skeleton of a lion.
“Looks like the king of the forest,” mocked the eldest son.
“Once a king!” corrected the second. “In other words, now dead and gone!” smiled the third son. They stood staring at the lion's skeleton for some time. Then a strange, but the dangerous idea struck the eldest! He shared his views with the others. They all agreed to it!
Then they implemented their plan. The eldest son went near the skeleton and sat by the side of it and brushed all the scattered bones together with a stick and piled them up. He then chanted some mantras. Gradually the bones began setting on their own in order. Moments later, there emerged a complete formation of a lion's skeleton on the ground!
He stood up and moved away. Next, the second son took position over there. He did nothing but said some mantras. He continued to say for some time. Finally, he took some holy water from a small bowl inside his bag, poured some water on his right hand, and rubbed over the skeleton. Now a big muscular lion with a thick mane was lying in its position! But it was still lifeless.
Finally, the last son took over. After reciting some verses, he too took some water and sprinkled it on the lion’s body! Alas! The next moment, a ferocious lion sprang to its feet! It was so hungry. At once, it pounced on the three brothers and tore them apart. Thus, ended the lives of the three senseless fellows.
The betal asked, “Nice story it is. Isn’t it? The three brothers had done a blunder. Tell me, who is more stupid of these three idiots?’
“It was the last son. The other two brothers’ contributions were there, of course. Yet it was lifeless until then. But by breathing life into it, he proved that he was the most stupid among them," answered Vikram.
“Wow, let me get wise and not act like a fool. By giving your answer, you have given me clearance to fly back. Anyways, come after me!” cheeked the betal, sailing to the Peepul tree.