In a town, there was a man named Sacrifice. His wife was upset because they were poor and had no food. She asked him to go find some food. So, Sacrifice went on a long journey and found a well in a forest. Inside the well, he saw a tiger, a monkey, a snake, and a man. They all asked for his help to get out.
The tiger promised not to hurt Sacrifice, so he helped the tiger out first. Then he helped the monkey and the snake, who also promised not to harm him. But the other animals warned him not to trust the man in the well. However, Sacrifice felt sorry for the man and helped him out too. The man, a goldsmith, told Sacrifice to visit him if he ever had gold to sell.
Sacrifice got gold from the tiger and went to the goldsmith. But the goldsmith was dishonest. He recognized the gold, which belonged to a prince, and told the king that Sacrifice had brought it. The king thought Sacrifice had killed his son and ordered him to be arrested.
In jail, Sacrifice remembered the snake. The snake came and made a plan. It bit the queen, and only Sacrifice could cure her. After he cured her, the king realized Sacrifice was innocent and rewarded him with many villages and made him an advisor.
The story shows that you should be careful about who you trust. Even though Sacrifice was kind to everyone, the man he helped was ungrateful and caused him trouble. It's important to be kind, but also wise about who you help.
The moral of "The Ungrateful Man" story from the Panchatantra is about the importance of wisdom and caution when offering help and the potential consequences of misplaced trust. While it's good to be kind and help others, the story illustrates that not everyone will appreciate or reciprocate your kindness. The ungrateful man in the story, despite being helped, betrayed the Brahman who saved him. This teaches that one should be discerning about whom to trust and assist, as some people might take advantage of kindness and generosity.
