THE SIMPLETON HUSBAND HIS BEAUTIFUL YOUNG WIFE and HER LOVER

GREED and LUST

THE SIMPLETON HUSBAND HIS BEAUTIFUL YOUNG WIFE and HER LOVER   
By
VIKRAM KARVE

Here is a story I heard once somewhere - I think it is from the Panchatantra...

 

Once, in a village, there lived a man, a good natured simple farmer, who had a beautiful wife. 

The beautiful wife was not satisfied with her simpleton husband. She neglected her household work and always yearned for the company of young handsome men.

One day, a smart young good-looking man saw her and seeing that she was alone went to her and said, “You are the most beautiful woman in the world and I am the most eligible bachelor. I have fallen in love with you the moment I saw you. Please give me the pleasure of your company.” 

 

The woman was delighted and flattered at the young man's seductive advances and soon they became clandestine lovers.

“Listen my darling,” the beautiful woman said to her young lover one day, “My husband has a lot of wealth. He is a useless bumpkin and he is of no use to me. I will take out all the money and jewellery and let us elope to some other town and then we both can live together over there happily ever after.”

The smart young man was very happy and asked her to bring all her wealth to the mango orchard at midnight where he would be waiting for her.

“We will both disappear in the darkness and head for the next town,” he told assured her.

The lusty woman waited till it was dark and when her husband fell asleep she stole all the money, jewellery and gold, packed it in a bag and left the house at midnight to meet her lover at a place he had indicated. 

The young handsome man took the bag full of money and gold from her on the pretext that he would carry the heavy bag for her and they both started furtively walking towards the next town.

After some time they encountered a river which was in full flow. They wondered how to cross the river. 

The woman told the man she did not know how to swim and she asked her lover to carry her on his back across the flowing waters of the river.

 

The smart young handsome man looked at the woman and thought to himself, “What is the point of wasting my whole life with this woman...? She seems a bit older than me and soon she may turn into a nag, a hag and a shrew. Also if she couldn’t be loyal to her own husband it is highly possible that she may ditch me too for someone else who is better looking, smarter, younger and handsomer than me. It is better I dump this woman but I must take her money and jewellery with me.”

 

With these thoughts in mind he told the woman, “Look, my dear, it is very difficult for me to swim across the river carrying both you and this heavy bag. I will first swim with the heavy money bag to the other side of the river and after keeping it there on the other side I will come back and carry you on my back across the river.”

 

She readily agreed to the suggestion made by her lover. 

He asked her to take off her clothes too and give them to him to carry across the river as he felt her clothes would hinder swimming when he would carry her on his back across the river.

Her imagination sensing amorous thoughts of both of their bodies clinging together sensually in the water, she took off all her clothes and gave them to her lover who swam across the river with the money-bag and her clothes. 

Sitting on the bank of the river and covering her naked body with her hands, the woman began waiting anxiously for her lover to return.

 

Just then a jackal with a piece of meat in his mouth happened to pass by. 

The jackal saw that a big juicy fish had been washed ashore by a wave. In his desperation to catch the fish, the jackal ran towards the fish and in the process he dropped the meat piece from his mouth.

 

But suddenly another big wave took the fish back into the river waters.

Disappointed, the jackal went back to pick up the piece of meat he had dropped, but meanwhile a crow dived down fast and took the meat piece away before the jackal could reach it.

The woman laughed mockingly at the greedy jackal who had lost the both the fish and also the piece of meat.

Hurt by the woman’s behaviour, the jackal retorted back and said, “Don’t laugh at me, you stupid woman. I lost a piece of meat due to my greed but you have lost everything – your husband, your lover and your wealth – due to your lust.” 


Dear Reader, what is the moral of this story? Is greed worse than lust or is lust worse than greed?

VIKRAM KARVE 

Copyright © Vikram Karve 2011
Vikram Karve has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.
© vikram karve., all rights reserved.

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About Vikram Karve

A creative person with a zest for life, Vikram Karve is a retired Naval Officer turned full time writer. Educated at IIT Delhi, ITBHU Varanasi, The Lawrence School Lovedale and Bishops School Pune, Vikram has published two books: COCKTAIL a collection of fiction short stories about relationships (2011) and APPETITE FOR A STROLL a book of Foodie Adventures (2008) and is currently working on his novel and a book of vignettes and short fiction. An avid blogger, he has written a number of fiction short stories, creative non-fiction articles on a variety of topics including food, travel, philosophy, academics, technology, management, health, pet parenting, teaching stories and self help in magazines and published a large number of professional research papers in journals and edited in-house journals for many years, before the advent of blogging. Vikram has taught at a University as a Professor for almost 14 years and now teaches as a visiting faculty and devotes most of his time to creative writing. Vikram lives in Pune India with his family and muse - his pet dog Sherry with whom he takes long walks thinking creative thoughts.

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