A poor wood-cutter was on his way home, after a long, hard day's work in the forest. On his head he carried a big bundle of wood— the fruit of his toil.
On the lonely forest track that evening, he saw a tapasvi, a holy man, coming towards him. Courteously, he stepped aside to let the holy man pass.
"Drop that bundle down!" the holy man said to the wood-cutter. Astonished, as well as puzzled, the poor man did as he was told. "Untie the knot!" came the next instruction.
Lo and behold! As the bundle was untied, a deadly, venomous snake came out of the logs. The wood-cutter shrieked with fear and horror at the sight of the snake but it crept away quietly into the undergrowth and disappeared.
Still shaking with fright, the wood-cutter fell at the feet of the holy man. "Master!" he exclaimed, "You have saved my life!"
"You are mistaken," replied the holy man quietly. "Tell me, did you perform a good deed today?"
"Alas master! All day long I worked hard cutting wood! It is not for humble ones like me to perform good deeds," replied the wood-cutter.
"Think again," urged the holy man. "You must have done something special today!"
The man's eyes widened in remembrance. "O master! I grew hungry and I sat down to eat my meal. I had two rotis with me. As I began to eat, a poor man came by. He told me he had not eaten for the last two days— poor soul! I shared one of my rotis with him. Apart from this, I have performed no good deed at all!"
The holy man blessed the poor wood-cutter.
"Brother," he said, "today, you were to die of this snake. But your good deed has saved you from death, and blessed you with a new lease of life!"
