Once, there was a poor Brahmin. He went from house-to-house begging for food in tattered clothes. On seeing his clothes, people shooed him away thinking him to be a beggar. Now, one day, a rich man gave him some new clothes. Wearing those new clothes, he went to beg as before. And to his surprise, he was warmly welcomed and invited inside to eat food. The Brahmin sat down happily. Having prayed first, the Brahmin took a sweetmeat in his hand and began to feed his new clothes saying, “Eat, eat!” The surprised householders could not understand what he was doing. They asked him, “The clothes do not eat. Then why do you offer food to the clothes?” The Brahmin replied, “It is because of these new clothes that you offered me food. So, I am grateful to them. This is why I am feeding them.” The householders were ashamed.
Moral: Never judge anyone by his outer appearance.
The Poor Brahmin
