Once there lived a Brahmin named Haridatta in a town. He had a farm which was near his home. He was a very hard working and simple person. Although his hard work in the farm, he could not get enough yields in his farm and even did not full fill his needs. But he continued his hard work in his farm.

One day, during the summer, while he was working in his farm, he could not able to bear the heat of the sun anymore. So he decided to rest for sometime under the shadow of a tree in his farm. Besides the tree there was a hole, in which a black cobra lived. As he reached the tree and start resting there, the black cobra coming out the hole with his hood raised. When Haridatta saw the cobra, first he got scared very much, but suddenly he thought, “Perhaps, this black cobra is the Divinity of the farm. From now, I will worship him and offering him many things. Perhaps, this cobra will impress with me and bless the farm with a high yield produce.”

Suddenly he brought a plate full of milk and offered it in front of the hole of the cobra and said, “O protector of my farm, I was not familiar with your presence here, please forgive me. Please accept my offering.” And then he left the plate there and returned to his home.

The next day when he came to the farm, he immediately reached the hole of the cobra. He shocked when he saw a gold coin on the same plate in which he offered the milk. Then he accepted the coin as a blessing from the cobra.

Days passed away in this way. Every day the Brahmin offered milk in a plate to the cobra and in returned of it he got a gold coin in the same plate next day. The Brahmin started growing a rich man.

After some time, the Brahmin needed to went to another village for some work. He thought if he went away from there then he would offer milk to cobra, and he did not want to hamper worship of him. So he instructed his son to offer milk to the cobra everyday and keep the blessing of him which he gives in return. Then the Brahmin went away.

According to his father’s instructions, the son offered milk to the cobra and then went to home.  Next day when he reached the same place, he got shocked to find the gold coin in the plate. He began to thought, “If the cobra gives gold coin every day, it means he must have a lot of gold coin inside the hole. If I kill the cobra then I can take out all the gold coin in one time.” So he planned to kill the cobra.

The next day the Brahmin’s son reached the place and instead of offering milk to him, he waited for the cobra to come out the hole. So he hit the cobra with a strong stick to kill him in one attempt. As the cobra came out the hole, he hit him badly but the cobra escaped and in anger the cobra bit the Brahmin’s son. He died at the spot and then his body cremated in the same farm by their relatives.

After few days when the Brahmin returned to his home, he heard what had happened and how his son died. His relatives advised him to kill the cobra to take revenge. Although he was very disappointed for his son’s death, but he did not favour his son’s behaviour which led him to death. He did not blame the cobra for this, and did not want to kill him to take revenge.

The next morning, the Brahmin went to offer milk to the cobra as usual. He stood near the hole of cobra and started praying. On hearing this, the cobra came out of the hole and said to him, “You are a greedy man. You have even forgotten your son’s death and have reached here to take a gold coin. You do not come here out of respect but for greed of gold coin. From now our relation has been finished.”

The cobra continued, “I bit your son in revenge to his attack. He want to kill me to take all the coin at one time. He got greedy for gold coin and was died. But he did all out of his hurriedness. How can you forget his death?”

 Then the cobra gave him a diamond this time and said, “The broken love cannot be restored with a show off of affection. Now go away and never come here again.”

The Brahmin went home with the diamond. He mourned at his son’s foolishness which led his death, and he did not return to the cobra again.

The wise indeed say:

Greed crosses all borders of reasoning and ends in disaster.