A merchant, who was a Bodhisatta, travelled with all his goods loaded on five hundred bullock carts to sell them in different cities and kingdoms.
He warned all his men, “When you pass through any place, you will see many attractive things. Please be very careful as there may be poisonous foods, fruits and leaves, which you must avoid. ” Everyone agreed to obey him.
Once they came upon a village in a forest. Near the village there stood a large tree heavy with ripe fruit. It looked almost exactly like a mango tree. The men were tired and hungry. They sat down to rest and some of them plucked the fruits and ate them.
The men collapsed as the fruits they had eaten were very poisonous. Their friends waited for the merchant to come.
Soon the merchant came up with the caravan. The merchant immediately understood what had happened. He began to treat the ones who had eaten the poisonous fruit.
In the morning, the villagers came running to the tree. They used to wait for the caravans to rest under the poisonous tree and then, when everyone was dead, they looted the caravans. This time, they were surprised to see the caravan and its attendants in perfect condition and alive.
Curious, they asked one of the men how they knew not to eat the fruits. “Our leader told us not to do so,” they told him. So, they asked the merchant how he knew.
“This tree is very easy to climb, my friends. And such magnificent fruits were available so close to your village. And yet, they all were on the tree. Clearly, none wanted to eat it. It could only be possible if the fruit was unsafe!” said the wise merchant with a smile.
