Keep your mouth shut

This is another story from Vishnusharma's Panchatantram.

This is another story from Vishnusharma's Panchatantram.

An indigent Brahmin lived in a town, and for his livelihood he was entirely dependent on the kindness of some good Samaritans.  He never had good clothes, good ornaments, not even a good mouthfuls of pan leaves but he lived on at the mercy of others, unshaved and un-manicured,  Without having any proper living place he grew thinner and weaker by the day.  Taking mercy on such a poor soul, an affluent  landlord presented him with two young calves.  The Brahmin was overjoyed, and he managed to feed the calves with oilcakes, fresh grass and cottonseeds, and the cattle grew in time giving him milk in plenty and rendering his life worth living.

A thief was watching the newly found affluence of the Brahmin with  professional interest.  He decided to steal the cows from the Brahmin somehow or other.  One fine night Armed with a rope he set out on his mission of burglary .
En route he met a person with monstrous features, red, round eyes, spear-like protruding teeth and a huge tummy.  Though frightened to the core the thief asked the other person who he was and  was given the reply that it was a brahmarakshas by name Satyavachana.   The thief in turn informed the ogre that he was a burglar named Kroorakarmaa.  He was on a mission to rob a Brahmin of his two cows. 

After some conversation they confided in  one another.

The Ogre said. "My food habits are  very regular. I would eat one Brahmin every third night.  You are going to the Brahmin's house.  You can have the Brahmin's cows and I shall have the Brahmin himself as Dinner"

Discussing this and many other mutually complimentary activities the  thief and the ogre reached the house of the Brahmin.  
The Brahmin was fast asleep, The ogre immediately tried to jump into action. 
 The thief restrained him. "My dear friend, let me just lead away the cows  quietly and  you  please wait for  your dinner till I leave." 
The ogre was irritated. 
" If you  try to tie the cows and take them away,  they are sure to make mooing sound and the Brahmin will wake up.  If that happens, my dinner will be lost for all practical purposes". 
 The thief would not agree. " If some melee occurs in   the process of you killing and eating the Brahmin, my mission will be a non-started.. so let me act first"  insisted the thief.  
The argument became louder with the shout, "I first", "I first".

Disturbed by the shouts, the good Brahmin woke up.   

The thief told the Brahmin.. "Maharaj, this ogre has come to your house to eat you up".. 

The ogre chimed in promptly, "This fellow has come here to take away  you cows"  

 The Brahmin rose up to the occasion chanted some strong mantras (spells) and drove away the Brahmarakshas.  Simultaneously, he made the best use of  both his hands with the assistance a sturdy wooden rod on the pate of the thief and the mission of burglary  was also spoiled

To sum up, the moral of the story is that:-

  (1) A person who sets up on an illegal mission should never try to rope in  partners in the crime. 

(2) However friendly  one may  feel with a stranger  one  should never  divulge his action  plan to such an  unknown entity.  

(3)  When executing  plans which are clandestine , one  should take care at at least to  keep his mouth shut.

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