Four eons ago, the Bodhisatta was born into a poor family in the kingdom of Seriva. In his youth, he earned his livelihood by peddling wares from door to door, and he came to be known as Serivan.
In that very same kingdom lived another peddler named Seriva. One day, the Bodhisatta took Seriva along with him to trade in the magnificent city of Andhapura. However, Seriva was an immensely greedy man. Upon reaching the city, they divided the streets among themselves to sell their goods. They agreed that once one had finished peddling on a particular street, the other could then try his luck there.
The Fallen Merchants and the Hidden Treasure
Now, in the city of Andhapura, there once lived a tremendously wealthy merchant family. But falling under the displeasure of the goddess of wealth, the family lost all its fortune and was plunged into deep poverty. One by one, all the men in the family passed away. By the time the Bodhisatta arrived in the city, the only surviving members of that noble family were a young girl and her elderly grandmother.
They survived with great difficulty, doing odd jobs in their neighbors’ houses. From their past days of prosperity, the family still possessed a golden plate from which the former head of the household used to dine. However, having been unused for a very long time and kept amidst other broken pots and pans, it was covered in thick layers of grime. No one could even recognize that it was made of solid gold.
The Greedy Deception
One day, the greedy peddler, Seriva, was passing by the house of these former merchants, crying out, “Buy water pots! Buy water pots!” Hearing him, the young girl asked her grandmother to buy her a trinket. “We are poor people, my child,” the grandmother sighed. “Where will we find the money to buy jewelry?”
The little girl then brought out the dirty golden plate and showed it to her grandmother, saying, “Why don’t we exchange this plate? It is of no use to us anyway.” The old woman agreed. Calling the peddler over, she said, “Sir, please take this plate and give your little sister something in return.”
Seriva took the plate, turned it over, and immediately suspected it might be gold. To test it, he secretly scratched the back of the plate with a needle. Realizing it was indeed pure gold, all his doubts vanished. But the greedy Seriva schemed to take it without paying a single penny. Feigning disdain and hiding the truth, he sneered, “What is the value of this? I would be cheated even if I bought it for a quarter of a copper coin!” With that, he threw the precious plate onto the ground with utter contempt and walked away.
The Reward of Unwavering Honesty
A little while later, the Bodhisatta came peddling down the same street. Announcing his wares just like Seriva, he went from door to door. Hearing him, the little girl made the same request to her grandmother. “You saw for yourself,” the grandmother replied, “that plate has no value. And we have nothing else to trade.”
But the young girl insisted, “That first peddler was not a good man, and his words were harsh. But this peddler seems kind, and he speaks gently. Perhaps he will buy the plate.”
The grandmother called the Bodhisatta and showed him the dish. The moment he held it, he knew it was pure gold. “Mother,” he said honestly, “this plate is worth a hundred thousand gold coins! I do not have enough wealth to pay for it.”
Pleased by his honesty, the old woman smiled, “A peddler was just here, claiming it wasn’t even worth a quarter-coin. Perhaps your virtue has turned it into gold. We shall give it to you. Give us whatever you wish in return.”
At that time, the Bodhisatta had five hundred silver coins and goods of equal value. He kept only eight coins, his weighing scale, and his bag, and gave all the remaining money and goods to the old woman. Taking the golden plate, he went straight to the riverbank. Handing the eight coins to the boatman, he urged him to cross the river quickly. The moment he sat in the boat, they set off.
The Bitter Harvest of Greed
Meanwhile, unable to control his greed, Seriva returned to the merchant’s house. “It doesn’t look good if I don’t give you anything for that plate,” he said. But the old woman retorted, “Just a moment ago, a righteous peddler bought it from us for a thousand coins’ worth of goods. Yet you claimed it wasn’t even worth a quarter-penny!”
Hearing this, Seriva went mad with rage and regret. He scattered all his money and goods on the ground, grabbed his weighing scale, and ran wildly down the street shouting, “He has taken my golden plate worth a hundred thousand coins!”
He rushed to the riverbank in search of Serivan, only to find that the boat had already left. Despite his frantic cries, the boatman did not return. Consumed by hunger, thirst, overwhelming grief, and unbearable sorrow, Seriva’s heart burst, and blood spewed from his mouth. He died on the spot. Thus, Seriva reaped the bitter harvest of his extreme greed, while the Bodhisatta was rewarded for his unwavering honesty.
Moral of the Story: Greed inevitably leads to destruction and sorrow, whereas honesty and righteousness always pave the way to true prosperity and peace.