Tuesday, January 31, 2012

TRICKY THIEVES



                                    A man received a lamb as a gift from a friend. He was happily carrying it home. Three thieves watched his journey. They planned a plot to play a trick on the man and steal his lamb. They moved to different positions on his way.
                                   The first thief, pretending to be a traveller, came near the man and asked, “Where are you going, pulling this dog along with you?”
                                   The man replied innocently, “You are mistaken. This is not a dog. It is a lamb. I got it as a gift. I am taking it home.” He lifted the lamb affectionately and continued the journey, carrying the lamb on his shoulders.
                                   A little later, the second thief came along the road. He asked the man, “Hello, why are you carrying this dog on your shoulders?”
                                   The man asserted that it was a lamb and not a dog. But the repeated question raised a little doubt in his mind. He examined the lamb carefully and continued to carry it.
                                  After a while, the third thief appeared as another traveller. He asked the man, “Hey, why do you carry a worthless dog on your shoulders?”
                                 The man was now in deep confusion. He thought that the unanimous opinion of three different persons cannot be wrong. He was convinced that he had been carrying a dog so long. He cursed the friend who gifted the animal and left the lamb on the road. He walked home happily, relieved of the burden.
                                 The two thieves who met him earlier were silently following him. They joined the third thief and they caught the lamb. They were happy that they could easily deceive the simple traveller. They killed the lamb, cooked it and enjoyed a lavish dinner with their friends.
                                 We believe in the principles and practices of our parent religion and the path of righteous living shown by its scriptures and our parents, teachers and elders. Like the three thieves in the story, persons disguised as scholars and advisors may meet us and try to confuse us with their eloquent words. They may try their best to misinterpret the holy scriptures and argue that our faith, principles and practices are wrong. We should be aware of their tricks. We must love our religion and learn the scriptures and the doctrines of our religion systematically. Then false prophets cannot mislead us from the path of truth.
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© By Dr. Babu Philip, Professor, Cochin University of Science & Technology, Fine Arts Avenue, Kochi-682016, Kerala, India, Prof. Mrs. Rajamma Babu, Former Professor, St. Dominic's College, Kanjirappally and Leo. S. John, Maniparambil, Ooriyakunnath, Kunnumbhagom, Kanjirappally, Kottayam-686507, Kerala, India.
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