The thief, the Brahmin, and the demon

A rich merchant was moved by the plight of a poor brahmin in his village and donated two calves to him. The brahmin was thankful and took good care of the calves, which soon became strong bullocks. The brahmin plowed his land with the help of these bullocks and earned a livelihood.

In the same village were a thief and a demon who wanted the bullocks for themselves. One night the thief and the demon came to the brahmin’s house and got into an argument about who should have the animals. Their quarrel woke the brahmin, who started chanting sacred mantra on seeing the demons. The demon ran away, and the thief was chased away by the brahmin.

Moral: When two people fight, it is always the third person who benefits.