Once, an old man was climbing a mountain carrying three bundles. Along the way, a strong young man passed by. The old man called out to him,
“Son, can you carry one of my bundles to the next hilltop? I will give you five copper coins in return.”
The young man agreed and carried the bundle. At the designated place, he waited for the old man. Upon reaching, the old man gave him five copper coins as promised.
Then the old man made another offer:
“If you carry the second bundle to the next hill, I will give you five silver coins along with the five copper coins from the first bundle.”
The young man happily agreed and carried the second bundle. The old man took a long time to reach this spot, but eventually gave the promised coins.
Now the old man said,
“The next hill is even more difficult to climb. If you carry this third bundle, which contains gold coins, I will give you five copper coins, five silver coins, and five gold coins.”
Excitedly, the young man agreed.
But on his way up the hill, greed crept into his mind. He thought,
“Why don’t I just run away with all three bundles? That old man is too weak to catch me.”
So he changed his path and walked away with all the bundles.
A little later, curiosity got the better of him. He opened the bundle containing gold coins—
And to his shock, all the coins were fake.
Inside the bundle, he found a letter. It read:
“The old man whose bundles you have stolen is actually the king of this region.
In disguise, the king was searching for honest soldiers for his treasury.
Had you not given in to greed, your recruitment as a royal soldier was guaranteed.
You would’ve received a house and a good salary.
But now, because you chose to steal from the king, you will be sent to prison. Don’t think you can escape—soldiers have been watching you all along.”
Now the young man sat down, holding his head in despair.
Within moments, the king’s guards arrived and captured him.
Due to his *greed, a bright future turned into *darkness.
Hence, it is rightly said—Greed is a curse!
Moral:
Because of the desire to get more, people fall into greed and end up losing even the good things they already had.
Always stay content—what you have is enough.
He who is joyful in heart possesses everything.