Vishnu Sharma
|
India

The Trader and The Donkey

Donkey lightens salt sacks by falling into the river, tricking the trader, but learns honesty when given heavier cotton sacks instead.
Honesty
Consequences
Responsibility
Panchatantra Fables - The Trader and The Donkey
Audio available for B1 version

Once upon a time, there was a trader who owned a loyal and hardworking donkey. The donkey always assisted the trader by carrying heavy sacks of salt from the town to his home.

One day, while they were returning from the town, the donkey accidentally slipped into the river. The sacks of salt on its back became wet, causing the salt to dissolve and the sacks to become lighter. The donkey found it much easier to carry the now lighter sacks and was quite pleased.

Upon reaching home, the trader discovered the wet sacks and realized what had happened. Although he was upset, he didn't express his anger to the donkey.

The following day, when they had to cross the river again, the donkey intentionally fell into the river to lighten its load. The trader noticed this and understood the donkey's trick.

Instead of becoming angry, the trader decided to teach the donkey a lesson. On their next trip to the town, the trader filled the sacks with cotton instead of salt.

As expected, the donkey fell into the river, expecting the sacks to become lighter. However, this time, the sacks absorbed water and became heavier. The donkey found it extremely difficult to carry the heavy load and realized its mistake.

From that moment onward, the donkey ceased falling into the river and continued to perform its work honestly.

There is a man. He has a donkey. The donkey works hard and helps the man. The donkey carries sacks of salt from the town to his house.

One day, the donkey falls into the river. The salt gets wet and goes away. The sacks get light. The donkey is happy. The sacks are easy to carry.

At home, the man sees the wet sacks. He knows what happens. He is not happy, but he is not mad.

The next day, the donkey falls into the river again to make the sacks light. The man sees this. He knows the donkey is being smart.

The man has an idea. The next day, he puts cotton in the sacks, not salt. The donkey falls into the river again. The sacks get heavy. The donkey is not happy. It is hard to carry.

The donkey learns a lesson. The donkey stops falling into the river. It works well. The man is happy. The donkey is happy.

Once upon a time, there was a trader who had a good and hardworking donkey. The donkey helped the trader by carrying heavy sacks of salt from the town to his house.

One day, as they were coming back from town, the donkey slipped and fell into the river. The sacks of salt got wet, and the salt dissolved. The sacks became much lighter, and the donkey was happy because it was easier to carry.

When they got home, the trader saw the wet sacks and understood what had happened. He was not happy but did not get angry at the donkey.

The next day, when they were crossing the river again, the donkey fell into the water on purpose to make its load lighter. The trader saw this and knew the donkey was being smart.

Instead of getting angry, the trader decided to teach the donkey a lesson. On their next trip, he put cotton in the sacks instead of salt.

As he thought, the donkey fell into the river again, thinking the sacks would get lighter. But this time, the sacks soaked up the water and got even heavier. The donkey had a hard time carrying the heavy load and learned its lesson.

From that day on, the donkey stopped falling into the river on purpose and worked honestly.

In a town not so different from your own, there was a trader with a flair for the dramatic and his sidekick, a donkey with a penchant for mischief. They were the dynamic duo, trading goods and cracking jokes.

"You ready for another day of lifting, old chap?" the trader, adjusting his over-sized hat, asked the donkey.

The donkey just rolled his eyes. "Oh, absolutely. Carrying sacks is my dream job. Might as well ask if I'm ready for another day of carrots and hay."

One sunny day, after their usual shopping spree, the donkey, weighed down with sacks of salt, tried some fancy dance steps near the river. Oops! Splash! He found himself wet, but the salt dissolved making his burden much lighter.

Emerging from the river, the donkey smirked, "Ever heard of a salt bath? Very refreshing. Also, ten points to me for a cool magic trick!"

The trader raised an eyebrow. "Interesting dive you took there." But he kept his suspicions to himself.

The next day, as they neared the river, the donkey thought, "Why not have another 'refreshing' dip?" And, of course, he dived right in.

The trader, shaking his head and grinning said, "Going for another swim, eh? Practicing your dives?"

The donkey, looking innocent, blinked. "Who, me? Noooo."

But the trader had a playful idea for a prank. The next day, he filled the sacks with fluffy cotton. "A change in product," he winked at the donkey.

Sure enough, at the river, the donkey dived in, expecting another magical lightening of his load. But surprise! The cotton soaked up all the water, making the load super heavy.

Struggling, the donkey groaned. "Alright, alright, I get it! No more splashy shortcuts."

The trader laughed, "Remember, my friend, being honest is always lighter than wet cotton!"

And from then on, the donkey only danced on dry land, especially when he thought no one was watching.

In a bustling town and sunlit dunes,
A trader hummed his merry tunes.
With his loyal donkey, strong and true,
Together they worked, under skies so blue.

Sacks full of salt, oh so dense,
Donkey bore them, without any pretense.
But fate had a twist, on that sunny day,
Into the river, the donkey did sway.

Water washed salt, away it flew,
Sacks felt light as a feather, it's true!
Donkey smiled, a clever thought he had,
"River tricks are not so bad!"

Home they went, the trader did spy,
The river trick and the donkey's sly try.
No anger shown, he planned instead,
A clever lesson, for the days ahead.

Morning came, river's song so clear,
Donkey's plan, the trader could hear.
Splash! In water, donkey did dive,
Hoping his sacks would again take a dive.

But this time, a surprise in tow,
Sacks were filled with cotton, soft and snow.
They soaked up water, heavy they grew,
Donkey realized, he'd been out of the cue.

A lesson learned, the hard way it came,
No more tricks, no more games.
From then onwards, come sun or rain,
With honesty, by the trader's side, he'd remain.

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Word Finder

  1. Donkey

    A big animal that helps carry things.

  2. Sacks

    Big bags to carry things like salt or cotton.

  3. Salt

    A white thing you put on food.

  4. Cotton

    Soft, white stuff used to make clothes.

  5. River

    A big, flowing water that moves to the sea.

  6. Wet

    When something has water on it.

  7. Light

    Easy to lift or carry, not heavy.

  8. Happy

    Feeling good and smiling.

  9. Mad

    Feeling very angry.

  10. Smart

    Clever or quick to think of good ideas.

  1. Trader

    A person who buys and sells things.

  2. Donkey

    An animal that carries heavy things for work.

  3. Sacks

    Large bags used to carry things.

  4. Salt

    A white substance used in cooking.

  5. Dissolved

    When something solid mixes completely with a liquid.

  6. Understood

    Knew what something meant.

  7. Purpose

    Doing something with a plan.

  8. Cotton

    Soft, white material used to make clothes.

  9. Soaked

    Full of water.

  10. Honestly

    Doing the right thing, not cheating.

Understanding Questions

  1. What does the donkey carry from the town?

    1. Cotton
    2. Water
    3. Salt
    4. Food
  2. What happens when the donkey falls into the river the first time?

    1. The sacks get heavier.
    2. The donkey swims away.
    3. The salt gets wet and goes away.
    4. The man gets angry.
  3. How does the donkey feel when the sacks get light?

    1. Sad
    2. Happy
    3. Angry
    4. Scared
  4. What does the man put in the sacks instead of salt?

    1. Food
    2. Water
    3. Cotton
    4. Rocks
  5. What does the donkey do after learning the lesson?

    1. Stops falling into the river
    2. Carries cotton
    3. Runs away
    4. Sleeps
  1. What did the donkey carry for the trader?
  2. How did the donkey feel after the salt dissolved in the river?
  3. What did the trader do when he noticed the donkey fell into the water on purpose?
  4. What did the trader put in the sacks instead of salt to teach the donkey a lesson?
  5. How did the donkey's behavior change after the lesson from the trader?
  1. What was the donkey's initial reaction after slipping into the river and why did it feel relieved?
  2. How did the trader respond when he realized the donkey's clever trick on the second day?
  3. Describe the trader's strategy to teach the donkey a lesson and how it differed from the previous journeys.
  4. What was the outcome when the donkey fell into the river with the sacks filled with cotton?
  5. Explain the moral lesson the donkey learned from its experience with the cotton-filled sacks.

Reflection Questions

  1. Why do you think the donkey decided to fall into the river on purpose after the first accident?
  2. How did the trader realize the donkey was trying to trick him, and what was his reaction?
  3. Can you think of a time when trying to take a shortcut or the easy way out made things more difficult instead?
  4. What does this story teach us about honesty and the importance of doing our work responsibly?
  5. How can we apply the lesson from this story in our daily lives to be more accountable for our actions?

Fable Quotes

Be honest; repeated tricks will eventually fail.
Clever tricks may lighten today's burden, but they weigh heavily on tomorrow.
Responsibility is embracing the consequences of our actions and making choices that align with integrity.
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