The miserly zamindar

There was a village zamindar who was very, very rich and, at the same time, very, very miserly. He would not give away any money, even for a good cause. Others who were infinitely poorer than he was would give money to improve conditions in their village. They would always raise funds for a special project. But they never dared to ask the zamindar to contribute because they knew in advance that he would refuse.

One time the villagers were trying desperately to gather enough funds to repair the village school. A young man who was a teacher at the school said, “I will compel the zamindar to give a donation. He is the richest one among us. He should set an example.”

All the other villagers told him, “It is impossible, impossible! You will never be able to bend him. We have tried in so many ways. We have flattered, we have begged, we have demanded — nothing has worked. He does not care for others. He is determined to hoard all his wealth.”

The young man said, “Let me try. I will take up the challenge.”

The young man went to the zamindar’s house and knocked on the door. The zamindar opened the door just a little and said in a very rough and rude manner, “Why are you here? I have told people not to bother me.”

The young man said, “I have come here for a special purpose.”

The zamindar barked, “If it is a question of money, I can tell you now that I will never, never give money to any of your village projects.”

In a very sympathetic voice the young man said, “You are absolutely right to keep your money, and I have made it very clear to the villagers that they must not expect you to give money here, there and everywhere. I told them that you are not an ordinary man. Ordinary people, like them, give money only for one reason: to be flattered. They want everyone to appreciate and admire them because they feel they have given such a large amount. They give only for their own glory. But I know that you are far, far beyond name and fame. You are the zamindar of our village. Nobody can be more important or powerful than you are. That is why you do not need to get name and fame by doing charitable work. The others badly want name and fame. They feel that just by giving a little money, even an insignificant amount, they will become extremely popular. But, in your case, you do not have any wrong motives. To me, you are like a great sage. You are above worldly flattery, and that is why you do not give money.”

The zamindar was so surprised and pleased by the young man’s speech that he came out and stood in the open doorway. All his hostility had vanished. He said, “Can you tell me once again why I do not give money?”

The young man replied, “You are far, far better than the villagers because they give with a purpose, a motive. They are dying to be appreciated, admired and adored. You do not give money because you do not want to go down to that level. You are beyond name and fame, far beyond it. I wanted to come here to tell you that I have realised your true height, your true goodness.”

The zamindar said, “You have understood me perfectly! I do not care for the adulation of the villagers. That is why I do not give money. Since you are the only one to arrive at the truth, let me give you a little money. Do whatever you want to do with this money. If you want to give it to your friends for the development of the village, you can, but remember, I am far beyond name and fame. If you give them this money, you must also tell them the truth that you have realised. Unlike them, I am not giving this money to you with any ulterior motive. I do not want to glorify myself. I am just giving the money unconditionally. Go and tell them this truth.”

The young man thanked the zamindar profusely and rushed to tell the other villagers the good news. On the way, he counted the money and discovered that the zamindar had in fact given him a very large amount. When he showed the villagers, they were astonished. The young man said, “My method of flattery worked! By giving me this money, the zamindar wanted to prove that he was above name and fame, but he made me promise to tell everybody where the money had come from. Indeed, he is above name and fame!”