Once upon a time, there lived a poor woodcutter named
Ram. He lived in a small hut on the outskirts of the village.
Ram would go in the forest every day and chop trees for
wood. He sold this wood to a rich merchant and earned his
livelihood. Though poor, the woodcutter was sincere and
honest.
One day, while chopping a tree near the river, the ax
slipped out of his hand and fell into the river. The river was
very deep and since that was his only ax, he worried. How
would he cut wood and earn his livelihood now?
He prayed to God for his ax. He prayed so sincerely that
God actually appeared! When He asked Ram what the
problem was, he told Him the whole episode. God, then
put his hand into the river and took out a silver ax. The
woodcutter said it wasn’t his. God continued looking and
then found a golden ax.
The woodcutter refused to accept it too! What good is a
golden ax to a poor woodcutter? He needed his iron ax.
God finally smiled and pulled out his iron ax. The
woodcutter was extremely happy and thanked God for
finding his ax. God was very happy with his honesty. So, he
rewarded him by giving him the silver and the golden ax
too! The woodcutter was overwhelmed and jumped with
joy!
