The Goldsmith and the Carpenter

Tales from the Tutinama | 03

How dishonesty destroyed a friendship

When the sun had set and the moon had climbed into the sky, Khajista draped herself in gold and shining jewels and went to the parrot. “May I go to my sweetheart tonight?” she asked softly.

The parrot tilted its head and said, “I gave you leave on the very first night. Why have you waited so long? But don’t go to him dressed in all those glittering jewels, God forbid, he might begin to love them more than you, just like the goldsmith who, craving the carpenter’s gold, threw away a friendship that had lasted for years.”

So Khajista paused, her fingers resting on the clasp of her necklace, and listened carefully to the wise little bird. She asked the parrot of the story about the goldsmith and the carpenter, who began narrating it as follows:

---

There once lived a goldsmith and a carpenter who were such good friends that everyone thought they must be brothers. One day, they set out on a journey together. When they reached another city, they found themselves in trouble, for they had no money at all to pay for food or lodging.

After thinking for a while, they whispered to each other, “There is a great temple here filled with golden idols. Let us pretend to be Brahmins. We will serve in the temple and pray there, and when the right moment comes, we will take some of the gold.”

So they went into the temple and began their worship. They prayed with such seriousness and care that the real Brahmins felt ashamed of their own ways. Each day, one or two of them quietly left and did not return. If anyone asked why, they would say, “We cannot worship as perfectly as those two men, and we feel too embarrassed to stay.”

After some days, the temple stood empty, with only the goldsmith and the carpenter inside. First, the goldsmith and the carpenter went before the king and told him of a strange dream they had shared. In it, the golden images in the temple spoke to them, saying that, since the people no longer came to worship, they would soon leave the city and seek another place where they would be honoured.

The king, hearing this tale of restless idols, was distraught and summoned his advisers to discuss how to keep the sacred figures in the city. Then, one night, they gathered up all the golden images and set off on the road back to their own city, carrying their treasure with them.

When they reached the edge of their own city, they buried the golden images beneath a wide, shady tree and then went off to their homes, each feeling pleased with the plan.

But that very night, the goldsmith crept out alone. He dug up the treasure and carried every last piece of treasure to his own house. In the morning, he stormed up to the carpenter and cried, “Thief! Have you forgotten our long friendship? You’ve stolen my share! You’ll spend all that money in a few days and leave me with nothing!”

The carpenter stared at him in surprise. “What are you saying?” he thought. Then he said aloud, “Goldsmith, I don’t understand your words. For God’s sake, don’t lay such a charge against me.”

The carpenter was a clever man. Seeing that arguing would lead nowhere, he held his tongue and said no more.

Some time later, the carpenter carved a wooden figure that looked just like the goldsmith. He dressed it in the goldsmith’s own clothes and somehow found two little bear cubs. He hid their food inside the sleeves and skirts of the clothes on the wooden figure, so whenever the cubs grew hungry, they nibbled there. Before long, the cubs became very fond of the figure and stayed close to it.

Then the carpenter invited the goldsmith’s family and the women of the neighbourhood to a feast. The goldsmith’s wife came with her two sons. While everyone was busy, the carpenter quietly hid the boys away. After that, he brought in the two cubs and began to cry out loudly, “Look! The goldsmith’s sons have been turned into bears!”

Hearing the noise, the goldsmith rushed in and said, “That is not true. No man can be turned into a bear!”

The argument grew so great that, in the end, the matter was taken before the Governor and the Qazi of the city to be judged. The Qazi turned to the carpenter and asked gently, “Tell me how this strange thing came to pass.”

The carpenter bowed and said, “The goldsmith’s sons were playing together when, all at once, they fell to the ground and were changed into these little bears.”

The Qazi frowned. “How can I believe such a ridiculous tale?”

The carpenter replied, “I have read in old books that even whole tribes have been changed in form, while their minds remained the same. So let us try this. If these cubs can recognise their own father, then my words will be proven true.”

The Qazi thought for a moment and nodded. “Very well. Let it be done.”

The cubs were set loose in the middle of the court, where everyone stood watching. The moment they saw the goldsmith, who looked just like the wooden figure they loved, they scampered straight to him. They rubbed their heads against his feet and began to jump and play around him.

The Cazy watched carefully. Then he turned to the goldsmith and said, “Now I believe these cubs are truly your children. Take them home with you. And why do you quarrel so bitterly with the carpenter, who has done you no wrong?”

The goldsmith, ashamed and humbled, fell at the carpenter’s feet and begged forgiveness. “If this clever trick of yours was meant to recover your share of the gold,” he said, “take it at once, but please, return my children to me.”

The carpenter replied kindly, “Dishonesty is a grievous sin, and you acted unfairly. If you truly repent, it would be no wonder if your children were restored to their true forms.”

So the goldsmith handed over his share of the gold, and the carpenter, keeping his word, brought out the children and returned them safely to their father.

---

When the parrot had finished telling Khajista the tale of the goldsmith and the carpenter, he looked at her wisely and said, “Do not take these jewels with you. Your lover may begin to desire them more than you, and lose all care and affection for you.”

Khajista began to remove her ornaments, intending to lay them aside and visit her sweetheart, when dawn broke, and her departure had to be postponed.