Long ago, there lived a woodcutter in a small village. He was sincere in his work and very honest. Every day, he went into the nearby forest to cut trees. He brought the woods back into the village and sold them to a merchant and earned his money. He earned just enough to make a living, and he was satisfied with his simple living.
One day, while cutting a tree near a river, his axe slipped out of his hand and fell into the river. The river was so deep, he could not take it on his own. He had only one axe that fell into the river. He started to worry. He will not be able to earn his living now! He was very sad and prayed to the God. He prayed sincerely and God appeared in front of him and asked, “What is the problem, my son?” The woodcutter explained the problem and requested the God to get his axe back.
The God stretched his hand deep into the river and took out a silver axe and asked, “Is this your axe?” The Woodcutter looked at the axe and said “No”. So, the God put his hand back deep into the water again and took a golden axe and asked, “Is this your axe?” The woodcutter looked at the axe and said “No”. The God said, “Take a look at it again Son, this is a very valuable golden axe. Are you sure, this is not yours?” The woodcutter said, “No, It’s not mine. I cannot cut trees with a golden axe. It’s not useful to me”.
The God smiled and finally put his hand into the water again and took out his iron axe and asked, “Is this your axe?” To this, the woodcutter said, “Yes! This is mine! Thank you!” The God was very impressed with his honesty and she gave him his iron axe and also the other two axes as a reward for his honesty.
