The Truthful Woodcutter

Moral of the Story: Truthfulness brings its own reward.

Once upon a time, in a small village, there lived a hardworking woodcutter named Raju. Every day, Raju would go to the forest to chop wood and sell it in the market to earn a living. He was very poor and could not afford to buy new tools.

One day, as usual, Raju was on his way to work. He had to cross a river to reach the forest. As he was crossing the river, he accidentally dropped his axe into the water. The river was deep, and Raju couldn’t see his axe anymore. He was very upset because he knew he couldn’t afford to buy a new one.

“Oh no! I lost my axe! How will I work now?” Raju cried out in despair.

Just then, an angel appeared before him. The angel had heard Raju’s cries and wanted to help him. She asked, “Why are you so sad, Raju?”

Raju explained, “I lost my axe in the river. I am very poor and cannot buy a new one. Without my axe, I cannot work and earn money.”

The angel smiled and said, “Don’t worry, I will help you.” She dived into the river and soon came up carrying a shiny golden axe. “Is this your axe?” she asked.

Raju looked at the golden axe and said, “No, no, this is not my axe. My axe was made of iron.”

The angel dived into the river again and came up with a silver axe. “Is this your axe?” she asked.

Raju shook his head and said, “No, no, this is not my axe either. My axe was made of iron.”

The angel smiled again and dived into the river one more time. This time, she came up with Raju’s old iron axe. “Is this your axe?” she asked.

Raju’s face lit up with joy. “Yes, yes! This is my axe! Thank you so much!” he exclaimed.

The angel was very impressed by Raju’s honesty. She said, “Raju, because you were truthful and did not take the golden or silver axes, I will give them to you as a reward for your honesty.”

Raju was overjoyed. He thanked the angel and promised to always be truthful. He took the golden, silver, and iron axes and went back to his village. From that day on, Raju’s life changed for the better. He worked hard and lived happily, always remembering the importance of being honest.

And so, Raju learned that truthfulness brings its own reward. Being honest and truthful can lead to unexpected and wonderful rewards.

Moral of the Story: Truthfulness brings its own reward.