There once lived a poor woodcutter named Hari in a little village near the edge of a deep forest. Hari would get up early every day, take his heavy axe, and go into the forest to cut wood. Though Hari’s life was difficult, he was sincere and happy. His small earnings from selling firewood were sufficient to meet his essentials.
When Hari was cutting wood by a river one afternoon, his hands slipped and his axe dropped out of his grasp. The axe fell into the swift-moving waves and disappeared from view before he could respond. Hari was heartbroken. He didn’t know how he would survive without his axe, which was the only equipment he had to make a living.
Desperate and full of despair, Hari sat by the river, burying his face in his hands. As his sorrow deepened, something magical happened—a shimmering light appeared on the water’s surface, and from the river emerged a divine figure. It was the river goddess.
“Dear Woodcutter, why are you crying?” the goddess said, her smile spreading kindness.
Hari, astonished by her presence, explained his plight. “My axe slipped from my hands and fell into the river. Without it, I cannot make a living, and I don’t know how I will survive.”
The river goddess, moved by his honesty, told him not to worry. She vanished into the water and, moments later, resurfaced holding a gleaming axe made of solid gold.
“Is this your axe?” the goddess asked.
Hari gazed at the beautiful golden axe, but he knew it wasn’t his. Shaking his head, he replied, “No, that is not my axe.”
The goddess disappeared beneath the water again and reappeared, this time holding a shiny silver axe.
“Is this your axe?” she asked again.
Hari looked at the silver axe, which was just as beautiful as the golden one, but he once again shook his head and said, “No, that is not my axe either.”
The goddess smiled at Hari’s honesty and disappeared one last time. When she returned, she held a simple iron axe—the same one that Hari had lost.
“Is this your axe?” the goddess asked.
Hari’s face lit up with relief and joy. “Yes, that is my axe! Thank you so much!”
The river goddess, pleased with Hari’s honesty and integrity, said, “Because you were truthful, I will reward you.” She gave him not only his iron axe but also the golden and silver axes.
Hari could hardly believe his luck. He thanked the goddess from the bottom of his heart and returned home, his burdens lifted and his spirit light.
When he told the villagers about what had happened, they marveled at Hari’s good fortune. But the real lesson everyone took away from his story wasn’t about the riches he gained—it was about the value of honesty.
Moral: Honesty is always rewarded, sometimes in ways we least expect.