Once a parsimonious trader lost his purse containing a hundred gold coins. He proclaimed a reward of 10 gold coins to the person returning it. A conscientious yeoman who found the purse returned it to the merchant and asked for his reward. The merchant thanked the peasant profusely but denied him the reward saying that the purse contained 110 gold coins and the farmer had already taken the reward before returning. The naive peasant felt greatly indignant and approached the wise Judge on this matter and entreated him to adjudicate on the matter. The wise Judge could discern immediately that the farmer was telling the truth and the merchant was a knave. So he sent for the merchant and the purse containing the gold coins. The judge after a meticulous examination of the purse asked the merchant, "How many coins did your purse contain when it was lost?". The trader replied that the purse contained 110 gold coins and the farmer had already taken his reward before returning the purse. The wise Judge saw that the purse was too small to hold 110 gold coins. So he declared,"This cannot be your purse for this is too small to contain 110 gold coins."
Greed may bring temporary gain But in the end, it causes pain For those who seek to hoard and save Will find themselves alone and grave.
1. parsimony: carefulness in use of money etc; stinginess
The success of his business can be attributed to the owner's parsimony in managing resources efficiently.
2. proclaim: announce or declare publicly or officially; declare to be
The crowd cheered as the elected leader proclaimed the supply of free drinks at the local bar.
3. conscientious: diligent and scrupulous
The conscientious residents of the town organized a neighborhood cleanup initiative.
4. profuse: lavish; extravagant; exuberantly plentiful; copious
The stranger profusely thanked me for helping him find the way.
5. naive: innocent; unaffected; foolishly credulous
It would be too naive to trust people offering advice on the best stocks to buy.
6. indignant: feeling or showing shock or anger
The employees were indignant when the management ignored their plea for a weekly holiday.
7. entreat: ask earnestly,beg.
The hungry traveller entreated the hotel owner to allow him a discount as he didn't have enough money.
8. adjudicate: act as judge in a competition or court; adjudge
The monkey adjudicated in the dispute between the cats and cleverly ate the whole cake.
9. discern: perceive clearly with the mind or senses
His keen eyes could easily discern that the painting was fake.
His companion turned out to be a knave guised as a saint.
11. meticulous: giving great attention to detail;very careful and precise
His meticulous approach ensured that there were no complaints from the customers.