Once there lived a wise and honest woodcutter who had a plain iron wooden axe.He used to cut trees and sell their wood in the market in its actual price.In this way, he used to carry out his livelihood.Everyone in the village also used to like him very much due to his honesty and simplicity.Unlike him, there also lived an unwise and dishonest greedy woodcutter who used to cut trees and sell it in a price higher than the price in the market.Not only that he had a very sly and cunning nature.
One day it happened so that while chopping trees, the axe of the wise woodcutter fell into a nearby river bank.He got very frightened on seeing this.Suddenly, a fair and beautiful looking lady with black shinning hair came out of the river with two gleaming axes– one with golden and the other one silver.She asked the woodcutter whether any of the axes belong to him or not?But since he had an iron wooden axe, he honestly told that neither of them was his.Seeing his gentle,honest and kind behaviour,the rivergod gifted him the two axes.He was very delighted on getting those two axes as a reward of his honesty.But this did not go well with the unwise greedy woodcutter who thought of strategizing a plan in order to get something priceless or valuable as a gift from the rivergod.
As a result, on the very next morning, he went to the same forest where the wise woodcutter got the two axes, and while cutting trees, deliberately threw his wooden axe into the river.To his surprise, a beautiful looking lady emerged from the river asking him the same question that about which axe belongs to him?The woodcutter as usual greedily replied that the golden axe belongs to him which fell into the river.The rivergod got very upset and disappointed with his dishonest behaviour and remarked him as a liar and told that he will not get any of the axes.On telling this, she went away.After this he promised to himself that he will never ever be dishonest to anyone from today onwards.
So the moral of the story is:
“Honesty is the best policy.”
