Listen to the Story
When a wise Brahmin is tricked into believing his healthy goat is actually a dog, he learns a hard lesson: even the truth can be distorted by the voices of many.
The Prized Offering
A pious Brahmin named Mitra Sharma was walking home from a nearby village carrying a healthy, plump goat on his shoulders. He had received it as a gift for performing a religious ceremony and was eager to bring it home. Little did he know, three hungry crooks had spotted him from the bushes and were determined to steal the goat without using any force.
The Seeds of Doubt
The crooks hatched a clever plan. They separated and stood at different intervals along the Brahmin's path. The first crook approached him and asked with a shocked face, 'O Holy Brahmin, why are you carrying a dirty dog on your shoulders?' The Brahmin laughed it off, knowing perfectly well he was carrying a goat. But as he walked further, a second crook approached and asked the same thing. The Brahmin began to feel a slight tremor of doubt.
The Power of Lies
When the third crook appeared and acted disgusted by the 'dog' the Brahmin was carrying, the poor man finally broke. He thought, 'If three different people see a dog, perhaps I am the one who is blind!' Terrified that the animal was actually a shapeshifting demon or an unclean beast, he dropped the goat and ran away in fear. The three crooks laughed heartily as they took the goat for their own feast.
What We Learn
This story teaches us that we should trust our own senses and reason. A lie told often enough by enough people can start to sound like the truth if we are not confident in our own judgment.
