Religion & Culture

The Story of the Merchant and His Servant

Once upon a time, there was a merchant and his servant. They shared an unbreakable bond of trust. The servant was very honest and hardworking, and the merchant owned a gold jewelry shop. Whether the merchant was present or not, the servant managed everything perfectly, and the business ran smoothly.

One day, the merchant had to go out of town for five to ten days. During this time, the servant was given full responsibility to look after the shop. The merchant’s son, who had now grown up, had also started coming to the shop. The merchant thought, “My son has now taken responsibility on his own, so I need not worry anymore.” With peace of mind, he left for his work outside.

Meanwhile, the servant and the merchant’s son managed the shop well. When the merchant returned after ten days, everything at the shop seemed fine. But the merchant noticed that his son had begun to act like the real owner of the shop. A few days later, when the merchant opened the safe and counted the money, he felt something was not right. However, he did not say anything to anyone.

Around the same time, the servant’s family was preparing for his son’s head-shaving (tonsure) ceremony. The servant asked the merchant for two days’ leave and also invited him and his family to attend the ceremony. The merchant gladly agreed and even gave him some money, saying, “Take this, so that nothing falls short in the ceremony. If you need anything else, just let me know.” The merchant’s son observed all of this quietly.

On the day of the ceremony, the merchant’s entire family attended. When they saw the servant’s celebration, they felt he had spent a lot of money. Doubt crept into the merchant’s mind. That night, he could not sleep. He kept thinking, “The missing money from the safe… could it be the servant who took it?”

The next morning, the merchant waited for his servant. But that day, the servant did not come to the shop. Seeing this, the merchant’s son asked,
“Father, what’s wrong? You seem worried. Tell me if there’s anything troubling you.”

Unable to contain himself, the merchant shared his doubts. The son then said,
“Father, let me tell you something—don’t be angry. When you were away, I once saw the servant taking money from the safe. But I didn’t tell you, because I thought you might have permitted him.”

Hearing this, the merchant’s patience broke. First, the servant had not come to the shop for two days. Second, the servant had spent far more than his means at the ceremony. To the merchant, it seemed clear now—the servant had betrayed him. His mind was clouded with anger, and he thought, “Tomorrow, I will confront him.”

The next morning, when the servant arrived, the merchant burst out in anger:
“You are a thief! You broke my trust. I put so much faith in you, yet you turned out like this!”

He did not allow the servant to speak a word. Without giving him any chance to explain, he threw him out. The servant left quietly without saying anything.

The merchant’s son was secretly happy to see this. But deep inside, the merchant still felt uneasy—“Could my servant really do this?” Yet, time passed, and he continued his business as usual.

A few months later, the merchant’s son suddenly returned home, having married a woman of questionable character. The whole town knew about her reputation, but the son was blinded by her beauty. For the merchant, it was as if the sky had fallen on him. Out of anger, he told his son to leave the house. But the son refused and replied:
“You will have to leave this house, not me. The money in the safe is all mine now. You have nothing left.”

Hearing this, the merchant realized the bitter truth—“I had wrongfully accused my loyal servant who worked with me for years. In my anger, I destroyed my own happiness, love, virtue, and even lost the servant who was like God in my life.”

Moral:

Because of his anger, the merchant lost everything:

• His Happiness disappeared,

• The Love of his servant was gone,

• His earned Virtue was destroyed,

• And he lost the Divine-like servant who was a blessing in disguise.

Had he listened calmly instead of acting out of anger, this tragedy would never have happened.