The Panchatantra - Story 35

STORY NO. 35. THE OLD MAN AND HIS YOUNG WIFE

There was once an old merchant called Kamatura(Overwhelmed by lust). When his wife died after living with him for 40 years, he married the very next day a pretty young girl of 16, after giving her parents lots of money in order to induce them to agree to the marriage. The girl was heart-broken, and did not love him at all, and shrank from his attempted embraces as from the cremation ground. One night, as they were lying in bed, she turning her back to him as usual, a burly thief entered the house. Seeing him, the wife was terrified and clung to her husband fast. The old husband was thrilled by this

unexpected embrace, and was also astonished. He said to himself : " Why did she hug me tonight, she who avoided me all these days?". 

Peering about, he saw the burly thief standing in a corner. He said to himself: "Doubtless, she embraced me from fear of him." He said to the thief: "She who always shrunk from me is embracing me fervently tonight, thanks to you, my benefactor. Take whatever you like from the house." The thief was moved and replied: "Sir, I shall not take a single thing from this house, and I am glad that I have rendered this benefit to you. I shall return only if she does not hug you as closely as she does now."