Once, King Brahmadatta’s queen went for a swim in the pond of the royal garden. She removed her precious necklace and left it with her maid. A curious she-monkey was attracted by the necklace. It stole it and hid it in a hollow tree-trunk. When the maid realised that the necklace was missing, she raised an alarm. The king’s guards started searching for the necklace. They caught a poor villager walking outside the garden. The frightened villager confessed that he had stolen the necklace. He then told the guards that he had given the necklace to the chief financial adviser. The chief financial adviser said, “It is with the monk.” The monk said, “It is with the court musician.” The musician said that the necklace was with his lady friend. However, the lady friend said that she did not know anything about the necklace. The entire kingdom wondered who had stolen the necklace!
Moral: Never lie, even in fear.
