A girl stayed with her parents and elder sister
in a cottage near a forest. She used to collect water in a pot from a
neighbouring stream and carry it home every day. One day in a severe summer,
while returning from the stream with a pot filled with water, she noticed an
old tree on the way. It was badly affected by the severe heat and drought. It was
shedding its withered leaves and many of its branches had already dried up. Its
withered roots were exposed above the ground and seemed to beg for a drop of
water. The girl had a very kind, generous and compassionate nature and she felt
pity for the dying tree. She lovingly poured the water in her pot over the
drying roots of the dying tree.
To her surprise
she noticed that as the soil moved along the flowing water, a brightly coloured
jewel box became visible under a root.
She eagerly collected the box using a stick and opened it. It had a rich
collection of gold coins, expensive jewels and exquisite ornaments. She carried
it home and her parents were glad to get such a valuable treasure. They told
her, it was a gift of God - a reward for the kindness she showed to the dying
tree.
Her elder sister
was envious of her sister's fortune and she wanted to own a similar treasure.
She ran to the tree carrying a stick in her hand. She madly thrust the stick into every hole under the tree in search of a treasure. Suddenly a poisonous
snake emerged from a hole as she poked
at it. The snake sprang upon her, biting
her to death. Her jealousy, envy and greed led to her tragic death.
Envy
or jealousy is a serious sin. Let us be of help to any one in need, especially
the poor, the sick and the needy. Jesus taught, “Happy are those who are
merciful to others; God will be merciful to them!"
Peace
of mind makes the body healthy, but where there is jealousy and selfishness, there
is also disorder and every kind of evil. Whoever does not love, does not know
God, for GOD IS LOVE.
-'Rime
Of The Ancient Mariner' by Samuel Taylor
Coleridge (1772-1834)
..................................................................................................................
© By Dr. Babu Philip, Professor, Cochin University
of Science & Technology, Fine Arts Avenue, Kochi-682016, Kerala, India, Prof. Mrs. Rajamma Babu, Former Professor, St. Dominic's
College, Kanjirappally, Leo. S. John, St. Antony's Public School,
Anakkal, Kanjirappally and Neil John, Maniparambil, Ooriyakunnath,
Kunnumbhagom, Kanjirappally, Kottayam-686507, Kerala, India.
For more moral stories, parables and anecdotes for
students kindly visit our web-site:
This is Story No. 159 in this site. Please click ‘Older Posts’ at the bottom of a page to read previous stories and
click 'Newer Posts' at the bottom of
a page to read newer stories in this site. Please click on a word in the 'Story Themes' to read stories on that
theme
No comments:
Post a Comment