Thousand & One Nights: 6: Night One: The Merchant & The Demon

There was a prosperous and wealthy merchant whose wealths spread across countries. He had many women and children and kept servants and slaves. One day he set out for another country. He had in his saddle bag, all the provisions including loaves of bread,
and dates. He mounted the horse and left his house. After many days and nights he reached his destination. After his business in the foreign country he returned to his home. 

On the fourth day of his journey, he saw an orchard by the track, and went into it to save himself from the scorching sun. He found a walnut tree, by a spring, and tied his horse to it. He sat in the shade by the spring, pulled out some loaves of bread and dates out of the saddle bag, and began to eat, throwing the date pits here and there. When he had enough of the fruits, he reclined in the shadow assuming a fetal position. After this respite, he got up, walked upto the spring, washed his face, hands and legs, and performed his prayers.

Hardly had he finished his prayers, he saw a demon, with sword in his hand, his foot on the ground and his head in the clouds. The demon screamed, "Get up, so that I will kill you with this sword, just as you have killed my son." 
When the merchant saw and heard the demon, he was terrified and awestricken.  He asked, "Master, for what crime do you wish to kill me?"
"I wish to kill you, because you have killed my son."
The merchant asked, "who has killed your son?"
The demon said, "you have killed my son."
"By God, I did not kill your son.  When and how could that have been?"
"Didn't you sit down, take out some dates from your saddle bag, and eat, throwing the pits right and left?"
 "Yes I did," replied the merchant.
"As you were throwing dates right and left, my sun happened to be walking by and was struck and killed by one of them, and I must now kill you."

"The merchant said, "O my lord, please don't kill me."
The demon replied, "I must kill you, as you killed him - blood for blood."
Merchant said, "To God we belong, and to God we return.  There is no power or strength, save God the Almighty, the Magnificent. If I killed him, I did it by mistake.  Please forgive me." 
"By God, I must kill you, as you killed my son," said the demon, and seized the merchant, threw him on the ground and raised the sword to strike him.  The merchant began to weep and mourn his wife and his family and his children. Without heeding, the demon raised his sword again to strike him, while the merchant continued to weep.  He was drenched in tears, but said, "There is no power or strength, save God the Almighty, the Magnificent." Then he recited the following verses:

Life has two days: 
one concord, one combat 
And has two sides: 
Worry and composure.
Ask him who taunts us
With adversity. Does fate
Save those worthy of note, oppress?
Don't you see that raging storms?
Only the tallest trees beset.
Of the many green and barren lots
Only the one with fruits are hit.
Of the countless stars in heaven 
 Eclipsed only the sun and Moon
You thought well, 
Of the days when they were good 
Oblivious to the ills destined 
You were deluded by the peace
Yet in the peace does sorrow stun.
The merchant finished, stopped weeping. 
"By God I must kill you, since you killed my son, even if you weep blood," said the demon. 
"Must you?" the merchant asked.
The demon replied, "I must," and raised his sword to strike.

The night was over and the morning came. Disarmed, king was immersed in the story, and was anxious to know its ending. The Hakim came to oversee the treatment of the king. Shahrazad was fully occupied in matters of administration.

End of Night One.

Notes:- The story reflects the essence of non-violence, one of the cardinal principles of Jainism. The story might have been originated around 600 BCE and carried to different parts of the globe through merchants and professional story tellers.










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