Long ago, it was a street in India where the scorching sun beat down.
The arrogance of the British who ruled India at the time was sky-high, and to them, the locals were nothing more than objects to be exploited.
One day, a British officer in a splendid uniform was riding his horse through the street with great pomp.
But perhaps due to the recoil of the horse? A heavy leather purse fell from his pocket onto the ground with a thud. The officer continued riding on for quite some time, unaware of this.
A short while later, a poor but honest Indian man passing by discovered the purse.
The purse was filled with glittering gold coins. It was a large sum of money he had never seen in his life, but the man searched for its owner without hesitation.
Spotting the officer who had returned looking flustered, he politely handed him the wallet.
"Sir, were you looking for this?"
Upon receiving the wallet back, the officer, instead of saying thank you, began rapidly calculating in his head.
'Since this lowly fellow found my wallet, I can take this opportunity to extort more money from him.' He pretended to count the gold coins inside, then suddenly turned red and shouted.
"You thief! There were definitely 70 gold coins in my wallet. But now there are only 60! If you don't hand over the 10 you swindled immediately, you won't be safe!"
The man felt as if the sky were falling. Because an act performed with good intentions had instead driven him into becoming a criminal.
He pleaded his innocence, but his voice was silenced by the power of authority, and the case eventually went to court.
In court, the officer boldly confessed a lie. "My wallet was large enough to hold 70 gold coins, and I definitely put 70 in it!"
On the other hand, the Indian man spoke only the truth in a trembling voice. "I merely returned it exactly as I found it."
Just when everyone expected the British officer to side with him, the judge, who had been quietly examining the wallet, spoke up. He handed the officer ten more gold coins and said, "Officer, if you are right, would you try putting ten more gold coins into this purse? Since there were already seventy in it, of course they will fit." The officer smiled triumphantly and began stuffing the gold coins into the purse. But what happened? The leather purse, already packed with sixty coins, was so taut it looked like it was about to burst that there was no room left for even a single more coin.
Watching the officer, whose face had turned bright red, stammer in panic, the judge delivered his verdict in a cold voice.
"I shall pronounce judgment. Officer, you clearly stated that your wallet was a large one holding 70 gold coins.
However, this wallet is about to burst with only 60 coins inside. In other words, this wallet is not yours.
Police officer, find the owner who lost the wallet containing the real 70 coins."
And the judge handed the wallet to the Indian man, adding:
"Since the owner of this wallet is unknown, you, who reported it honestly, keep it.
If it were the pocket of an honest person like you, it would easily hold 100 gold coins, let alone 70..." "Because it must be a large vessel to fit into."
The Law of Karma: It demonstrates the truth that if you lie out of covetousness of others' possessions, you will eventually lose even what you possess.
Truth Stronger Than Power: While power before your eyes may obscure the truth, it is bound to reveal its true face before wise insight.
The Difference in Vessels: The officer's wallet was small, but his greed was great; the Indian man's pocket was empty, but his character was richer than anyone else's.
