Pleasant Truth
The goddesses of
poverty and wealth once had an argument about who was more beautiful.
As they were arguing,
they saw a merchant coming towards them and decided to ask him to settle the
matter.
The merchant was filled
with awe whey they told him who they were, but he turned pale whey they told
him what they wanted him to do.
It was plain to him
that Goddess of Wealth was the more beautiful of the two, but how could he tell
Goddess of Poverty that? She would be furious and would probably reduce him to
poverty.
But he was a clever man
and quickly gathering his wits, said: “O Goddess of Wealth, you are more
beautiful than any other woman on earth or in heaven when you are entering a
house, but you, O Goddess of Poverty, words fail to describe your grace and
elegance, when you are leaving. There is non to compare with you in beautify”
It was a judgement that
pleased both the contestants because each thought she had been adjudged as the
winner. But the real winner, of course, was the merchant. He had won the favor
of the goddess of plenty without displeasing her powerful rival!
Source: A folktale from Andhra Pradesh.
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