The Thief and the Demon

Retold and Adapted by Navin

Once upon a time, there lived a brahmin named Drona. He was very steadfast and did all his work well. He had a student who he taught chants, and when the student was due to finish studying, he gifted Drona two calves. Drona raised the calves and kept them in a stable adjacent to his house.

One day, a bad man named Kuppai was walking by Drona’s house. He often did immoral things to make money and did not feel bad about stealing. He heard some “moo’s” and looked towards Drona’s hut, where he saw two good cows. Kuppai decided to steal the cows that night.

Kuppai came to Drona’s house in the evening and hid in the woods behind it. As night fell, Drona herded the cows into their stable and went inside to sleep. The thief began to creep towards the house. Suddenly he bumped into someone else hiding in the woods! The person turned around, and Kuppai realized that it wasn’t a person at all, but a demon! “Who are you!” cried the demon. “I am just a simple thief! I’ve come to steal the brahmin’s cows!” responded Kuppai, trembling. “Ah, well in that case, we can be friends!” said the demon, “I have come to eat the brahmin.

The demon and the thief decided to do their tasks at the same time and walked to the house together. When they stood by the house, both paused. “Wait out here,” said the demon, “while I go and eat the brahmin, and then you can steal the cows.” “No, you wait, and I will steal the cows. Then you can eat the brahmin. If you eat him first, his shouts will rouse the neighbors, and they will come and prevent me from stealing the cows,” argued Kuppai. “If you steal the cows first, their moo’s will wake the brahmin!” countered the demon. They both started fighting, and without realizing, raised their voices.

Because of the commotion, the brahmin woke up and came outside to see what the matter was. The demon and the thief both stopped arguing and explained their dilemma to the brahmin. Wisely withholding his advice on the matter, the brahmin began to chant divine incantations. At once, the demon vanished in a puff of smoke. The brahmin then picked up a big stick and beat Kuppai the thief till he ran away. Because they had argued amongst themselves, the brahmin was able to defeat them and live to see another day! 🐮