Shandili and the Sesame Seeds

Moral of the story: If something seems too good to be true, don’t be fooled by it – think carefully and make sure it’s real.

Once upon a time, there was a wise man named Brahmin who lived on the edge of a city with his wife, Shandili. They were very happy, but they didn’t have a lot of money.

One morning, Brahmin told his wife, “Tomorrow is a special festival day. It’s a good day for giving and receiving gifts. I’m going to go to the city and I’m sure I’ll get lots of gifts that will last us a long time.”

He also said, “You should invite another wise man to our home and give him food and clothes. It’s a special day and it would be a good thing to do.”

When Shandili heard this, she said, “How can you say that? We’re already very poor. We don’t have good food or nice clothes. I can’t afford to invite anyone!”

But Brahmin explained, “Dear wife, even when we only have a little bit to eat, we should share it with someone who needs it.”

After much convincing, Shandili agreed. She said, “I have some sesame seeds. I’ll clean them and cook a tasty dish for our guest.”

The next morning, Brahmin left for the city as planned. After he was gone, Shandili cleaned the sesame seeds in warm water and carefully removed their husks. She then put the sesame seeds outside in the sun to dry while she did her housework.

While she was working, a dog came and made the sesame seeds dirty. Shandili saw this and quickly chased the dog away.

She thought, “My hard work has been ruined. But these sesame seeds are all I have. So, I’ll try to trick my neighbour. I’ll offer to trade these cleaned sesame seeds for some of her husked sesame seeds. She won’t suspect anything and will agree to the trade.”

She went to her neighbour’s house and proposed the trade. The neighbour was very happy because it takes a lot of time to clean and remove the husks from sesame seeds. She found the offer very attractive and offered even more sesame seeds in return.

But while they were trading, the neighbour’s son came out. He said, “Mother! Who would trade clean sesame seeds for dirty ones? There must be a reason she’s offering such a good deal. Please don’t agree to the trade.”

When the neighbour heard her son’s advice, she politely refused Shandili’s offer.

When Shandili realized that her trick had failed, she went back home.

Moral of the story “Shandili and the Sesame Seeds” if something seems too good to be true, don’t be fooled by it – think carefully and make sure it’s real.