There is a legend in the region of Punjab, about a thief who broke into a farm and stole two hundred onions. But before he could make his escape, he was caught by the farmer and led before the judge.
The magistrate past sentence: the payment of ten gold pieces.
But the man alleged that the fine was too high, so the judge offered him two alternatives: to be whipped twenty times, or eat the two hundred onions.
The thief chose to eat the two hundred onions.
When he had eaten twenty-five, his eyes were already filled with tears, and his stomach was burning up like the fires of hell.
Since there were still 175 to go, and he knew he would never bear this punishment, he begged to be thrashed twenty times.
The judge agreed. But when the whip tore into his back for the tenth time, he implored for the punishment to be stopped, for he could not stand the pain.
His wish was granted, but the thief still had to pay the ten pieces of gold.
- If you had accepted the fine, you would have avoided eating the onions and wouldn’t have suffered with whip – said the judge.
- But you preferred the more difficult path, not understanding that, when you have done wrong, it is better to pay up quickly and forget the matter.
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为同一个错赔偿三次
在印巴交界的旁遮普地区流传着这样一个故事：一个小偷溜进了一个农场并偷了两百颗洋葱。正当他想要逃跑时，农场主发现并逮住了他，把他押送到了法官面前。
法官大人宣布了他的判决：小偷应赔偿农场主十块金币。小偷求法官同情，这个罚金数目太大了。于是，法官给了他另两个选择：接受二十次鞭挞或者把这两百颗洋葱都吃了。
小偷选择吃下这两百颗洋葱。当吃到二十五颗时，他已经被辣得痛哭流涕，胃中如狱火灼烧。因为还有一百七十五颗要吃，他知道他无论如何也承受不了这种惩罚，就恳求法官让他取而代之接受二十次鞭打。
法官同意了。可当鞭子第十次深深切入小偷的背脊时，他就再也忍受不了，乞求停止。 法官再次同意了，但是这个小偷还是要赔偿农场主十块金币。
“如果你一开始就接受罚金，就不用吃洋葱，也不用接受鞭挞了。”法官说道，“可你却选择看似容易，其实更艰难的道路。你不明白，如果人犯了错，最好的解决办法是尽快去补救，这样事情才会过去。”
Heard it when I was a kid :)
It is uncanny that you should post this as I was burgled yesterday, this is the second time in six months, my close neighbors only a week ago. This morning I have realized that it is not the loss of possessions that I will mourn, but the loss of innocence that I have held in my heart for the place I spent growing up very safely as a child. Times change, and places change without going anywhere.
But I refuse to accept that I am a victim.
Traduzione in italiano… per chi la gradisce :)
Oggi è la festa delle Epifania… un abbraccio a tutti nella Luce… INFINITE LOVE TO ALL… Cristina
C’è una leggenda nella regione del Punjab, a circa un ladro che entrò in una fattoria e rubo 200 cipolle. Ma prima che potesse organizare la sua fuga, fu catturato dall’agricoltore e portato davanti al giudice.
Passato dal magistrato la sentenza fu il pagamento di dieci monete d’oro.
Ma l’uomo sosteneva che la multa era troppo alta, in modo che il giudice gli offri due alternative: essere frustato venti volte, o mangiare le 200 cipolle.
Il ladro scelse di mangiare le 200 cipolle.
Quando ne ebbe mangiato 25, i suoi occhi erano già pieni di lacrime, e il suo stomaco bruciava come il fuoco dell’inferno.
Poiché vi erano ancora 175 da mangiare, e lui sapeva che non avrebbe mai sopportato questa punizione, pregò di essere pichiato per venti volte.
Il giudice fu d’accordo. Ma quando strappò la frusta sulla schiena per la decima volta, il ladro implorò che la punizione fosse fermata, perché non poteva sopportare il dolore.
Il suo desiderio fu esaudito, ma il ladro doveva ancora pagare i dieci pezzi d’oro.
- Se avesse accettato la multa, ciò gli avrebbe evitato di mangiare le cipolle e non avrebbe sofferto con la frusta. Disse il giudice.
- Ma avete preferito la strada più difficile, senza capire che, quando avete fatto del male, è meglio pagare in fretta e dimenticare la questione.
Vamos, que entre unas cosas y otras, le ha caido la del pulpo.
Lo de la piedra me gusta. Cuando te tiran piedras, éstas, pueden destruirte, pueden encenderte y convertirte en uno de ellos, o pueden quitar lo que sobra y construir lo que falta, depende de cada uno lo que haga o no con su dolor, en cualquier caso, sin trabajo no hay progreso.
Un saludo, hasta pronto, y Feliz 2012¡¡¡¡
http://blog.allasobirova.com/2011/12/23/salom-are-you-ready-for-new-portion-of-learning
Is there anyone who is interested in Uzbek translation of Alchemist?I am thinking about posting it.
How about copyright agreement with the publishers? Wanna get swallowed by the big-6 guys? Good luck then…
The landlord should have investigated if the thief is stealing for fun or he is really poor, afterwards it should have been decided whether to puninsh him or not
totally agree
Paulo, this posting could not have come at a meaningful time for me. I have made the story of my childhood sexual abuse by a family member public, and instead of him and the family doing what is right, they are attacking me instead. I find it so interesting that you are writing about this very thing. Thank you, your writing brings a sense of peace and consolation to me and to other survivors of rape and sexual abuse.
LA PIEDRA Y EL HOMBRE
El distraído, tropezó con ella,
El violento, la utilizó como proyectil,
El emprendedor, construyó con ella,
El campesino, cansado, la utilizó de asiento,
Drummond, la poetizó,
David, la utilizó para derrotar a Goliat,
Y Michelangelo, le sacó la más bella de las esculturas.
En todos los casos la diferencia no estuvo en la piedra, sino en el hombre.
As a rebel at heart, I commend the thief on his courage not “to pay up” and be politically correct but to have to courage to expose himself to more experience in life. The sum total of our existence is the sum total of all the experiences we had during our lives. His experience will be a memorable experience, that’s for sure. In the “ISNESS” of life, there are no right or wrong decisions. All decisions are valid and will result in a life experience. Three cheers for the thief!
excelente visión!
Peter, that is brilliant! kudos
agree !!
Peter, I love your comment! Thanks for sharing it!
Hi Peter,
I totally agree with what you have said….if only we make different choices that we can have numerous experiences that lead us to self-growth…. it is a beautiful way that you have pointed out the decision of the thief is indeed his way of staying open to life and its offerings. Whether good or bad each experience is a step in the ladder of learning.
Agree !
Love, light and blessings
Jennifer
Tomando en cuenta la reflexión, a menudo nos percatamos que en el devenir de nuestras acciones pagamos caro nuestros errores, que píensas al respecto.
Well, I’ve never stolen anything but I’m doing the same right now – getting three punishments instead of one quick decision. That’s from the business point of view. I hope after all it’ll pay all my pain (challenges in this case) off:) At least we learn, right?:) http://www.taniapoli.com
Happy New Year Paulo may God keep you safe all times i do love all your books it brings to all of us bit of faith that is what this word need to survive .
Me ha ocurrido un caso con una persona que suele emularme. He comprado dos pasteles para comérnoslos mañana, día de reyes en la merienda, y después de cenar me he acordado de mi pastel y me han entrado ganas de comérmelo. Esta persona ha ido a la cocina y ha desliado el envoltorio dispuesto a comerse su pastel -emulándome-. le he dicho que por favor, no lo hiciera, que eran para merendar juntos mañana -yo he antepuesto esto a mis ganas de comer el pastel-. No obstante se ha tomado la mitad. Entonces me he comido el mío. Me ha dicho que yo estaba muy líada, porque decía una cosa y luego hacía otra debido a que él se lo había comido. Le he dicho que no estaba liada, que lo tenía muy claro: quería hoy el pastel pero por comerlo con él lo había dejado para mañana, así que ahora me lo comía ya que él no se había esperado, explicánole todo esto y pidiéndoselo por favor. El me ha dicho que yo era una egoísta porque no dejaba que él se comiera su pastel queriéndolo así. Yo le he dicho que precisamente es lo contrario, yo quería mi pastel para hoy y lo había dejado por el. ¿Cómo se come esto?
Dile que compre el roscon de reyes él. Es lo único que se me ocurre, madré mía la que se ha liao¡¡¡
Un abrazo.
Regardless of the choice made by the thief or the sentence given by the judge, the universe ALWAYS delivers the “goods” ( the lesson in this cas) punishment or reward
It’s always best to pay your karmic debts as soon as possible
U taught me how to read omens paulo.i am reading them now.i live in punjab..u found me i could find you.Somehow everytime i need it , the guidance comes from you.thanks for being my angel.
Y yo me pregunto…. ¿No le estarían robando a él?
how interesting that although people speak the different language, have different religions and different cultures, some wisdom are the same!
Something similar like “things repeat three times” also exists in our Chinese proverbs!
love
Yan
And I believe, that is why sometimes the same difficult situation happens in life again and again. To make us realize, escaping is not a good choice, trying to cheat out is also no good, only when we really find the right answer and right solution, we can jump out from this repetition.
agree….
This story relates to the situation facing pipo in BAD relationships.
they dnt wnt 2 quit the relationship(pay the gold pieces) because they hope things wil get better,the other person will change and they wil live happily ever after(eating the onions wil be better than paying the gold).
so they hold on in blind hope but of course the onions are not forever edible and the beatings wil get unbearable.in the end they pay the gold coins but nôt before incuring a serious irreparable heartbreak.thats paying 3 tymz one item.
How beautifully have you illustrated this case.Respect.And Coelho,You are wonderful!Immer..
When ever I make a mistake I admit it before anyone finds out on theri own. It always saved my time of worrying about the out come. And it seemed to help begin finding the solution faster
It seems many people do not understand the moral of the story. The point is, being caught or not, being sued or just accused for something that we know that we have done wrong, we’re better off if we just accept the punishment, repercussions or whatever from the start, cause over time it will just become more difficult for us.
En esencia es muy bueno! Aun asi necesitan otro traductor!
How appropriate….a co-worker just stole something from my office, and was caught on tape. Only the security officer and I know who did this….should I go to the person and make her give the object back or let her go????…..”he who is free of sin may through the first stone”
big dilema
The point is that he who is free of sin, won’t through that stone at all.
No excuse for stealing. Report this person for stealing, and offer the proof. You did nothing wrong.
What an interesting dilemma. I would like to assume I would just pay up – but I’m afraid I would probably be foolish like the theif and attempt to eat the onions!
Jeremy
The thief wouldn’t have to steal those onions if he had 10 gold pieces in the first place. I’m kinda sorry for the thief. explain me if I misunderstood the theme of the story.
I agree with you, that was my first feelings too.. (but I´m assuming this man was poor, the story actually doesn’t tell, its only my assuming) and if you don’t have the money to pay of, you try to pay in another way, as he tried. they could have put him to labor work instead.. and made him a real choice that was possible to pay of with. Its always a lot of circumstances that have to be added to the facts.. before judging.
I think one must assume that the thief was stealing out of mischief, not necessity. Although you raise a good point: how many times have our assumptions led to us a conclusion which was incorrect?
Anyone want to buy 200 onions for 10 gold pieces!
When we study the Legal System we find out how flawed it is – more flawed then correct. Understanding judges have saved many people.
What good story! Is true, sooner we pay for our faults, the better. Because if not, will be added extra interests (percentage), like for a debt. It amused me the choice to eat 200 onions…lol…so funny. I only think, why he needed the onions. Well, beside I discovered why I had not seen the book in library. It seems its only a certain chain that sell it. Have to go in center of the city, cant pretend to be a real fan if do not try. And I am very curios, will be as good as others books of yours? I think yes. And I am still in vacation, so all set to be that way.
A beautiful story. I personally love difficult paths. But I’m not a thief. The thief seems to be right stupid. I would pay. The thief can not be helped. C’est la vie.
I wish you all a wonderful day
Sorry, I can think of something else. Just moved to the present time. You’re interested in sharing. You put your stories even partially free in the network. I think that’s a great idea. Now of course there are theft of ideas, or quotations. Perhaps of whole stories. I think that’s very disrespectful and one must act against it. You have an armada. What about young writers? They have not! I think stealing is not nice. In my opinion young authors should not share , it makes no sense. If have no money, no attorneys, then you can not defend youeself against theft. Which can destroy a career.
I wish you all a wonderful day
Hi Paulo,
First of all..Happy New year to you. May GOD bless you with all your wishes !!!
This is a wonderful story at the right time. My past deeds are always haunting me. Though I did somethings unintentionally, I still fell bad about them. I think I already paid the price of living in a foul mood for some years now. I want to get rid of it, and this year I will try my best to get rid of this bad habit !!! Please pray for me !!!
Thanking you,
Harish
Ouch!!!
Oh yes that happens, one time or another…
Sometimes we have the ways to fix our mistakes but we choose the one that we think it will cost the less so than what we get are results as this one. And that’s ouch!
So at this moment one wanders, what can one do?
You are going to pay a price one there’s no escape so then value what is worth more for you to protect, in this case it was his wealth or his health.
And if in case he didn’t know what’s more important to him he’d learn that this way. :/
Hey Paulo, Gm. How are you doing?
Well, I am reading your Aleph these days. Just wanted to know,, in almost all your books, you have strongly stood beside Freewill, understanding Omens, Beliefs, Chance and Choice. But everywhere, it is with reference to a man’s willpower. Right! What should a woman do, no matter she too has the same set of beliefs. How can she change or get a man’s freewill? I mean merely looking into someone’s eyes (not intentionally ofcourse) isn’t really sufficient. If the woman knows that he is the one and made for her then why cant the man accept it as his destiny. And if he too knows it,well, then why cant he decide to have that woman in his life as his soul-mate and stays away from her. Worries about unnecessary circumstances to which he has no control. Irrespective of being committed to a lady in his life,, if he developed an unsaid / unheard bond with another woman which is really pure and based on simple set of life’s routine, then the two people should unite is what i feel. But how? Please try to answer this basic question of mine, what the woman should do in such situation?
Nice Illustration Ken Crane…..and Paulo thanks as usual its true it is is good to close the mayyer as soon as possible. Love Avantika
thats matter not mayyer :(
J’ ai commencé par l’ alchimiste, le pellerin de compostelle, le zahir,…
Je viens de finir Brida, je suis dans l’ Aleph,… Pourvue que il n’ y ait pas de fin et que comme l’ univers, les mots circulent et viennent jusque à moi, pour nourrir la sorcière que j’ ai toujours su que j’ étais. Cher Paulo, au travers des mots aussi on peut connaître l’ Aleph.
Amen
Camille
La mejor solución, pagar rápidamente y zanjar el tema. De lo contrario se arrastra el asunto toda la vida.
Duele más cuando el error repercute en terceras personas.
Ser humanos significa equivocarse, pero también aprender a corregirse y a enfrentarse.
Eso le pasa a todo el que quiere evadir la justicia,recibió dos castigos mas pagar en metálico,es evidente que el camino mas fácil no siempre nos lleva a un buen objetivo.
Afectos
Nina
Very nice message. Thanks for sharing.
This tale just summarizes completely an exercise I put together to try to guide people with dealing with their mistakes and regrets. In having listened to all their personal stories, they all had similar frustrations for not being able to move forward…They dwell on their mistakes, instead of taking repsonsibility for the role they played in the mistake, see the lesson learn, take action to let it go and mend from it, they become their worst enemy making their punishment a lifelong punishment of regret….
If we make the mistake we have to pay for it, try to decrease the error is something dishonest. We are losing two times when we seek to justify a mistake
If we do not give due importance to our mistakes, they spread through our lives.
Among the cardinal virtues is justice.
Who regrets wrong is hardly innocent. – Seneca
Almost .. Justice is needed.
hugs !!!
: )
BELLE MORALE!
If you can’t do the time, don’t do the crime…………..
and if you can’t think right (how could anyone eat them in one sitting??? ) keep your mouth tight………..
Love and gratitude
Annie
If you decide to be bad at least do your job good, don’t get caught and importantly, why stealing onions? candies would be much better, for instance :-D
Dear Tarek, I may not get caught, but if I get naughty Santa will always know :)) at least I will do his back a favor as his bag of gifts will be lighter :)))
Yes, true.
and this applies on everything we do on our life and work, we need to forget our mistakes, to focus on what’s good things we can do next.
He wanted everything but didn’t want to pay for it, now he had to pay everything and more and gets nothing.
Having to pay ten gold pieces was probably the hardest sentence for him because that meant that he had to acknowledge to himself what he did and that with what he had to pay now, he easily could have obtained what he wanted in the first place.
He tried to avoid looking at himself in the mirror because sometimes that’s the hardest thing to do…
Love,
Vicky
Hello to you too Ivan
“…when you have done wrong, it is better to pay up quickly and forget the matter.” This is truly enlightening. More often than not, people tend to find other ways to make up for the wrong that was done instead of facing it and taking responsibility. Truly enlightening!
I’m sorry Annie I mean no disrespect, I can see you’re a genuine nice person, but in my opinion a bit idealistic and naive. Children need love even when they misbehave, because this may be a form of reaching out, they may be acting out of fear. But they also need discipline; the main purpose of raising children is to create fully functional and contributing citizens of tomorrow. A harden criminal needs to suffer the consequences of his/her actions or else society will become a total chaos. That doesn’t mean we dehumanize them, or that they don’t deserve love, but love alone will not reform the criminal. Punishment even in small children sends the correct message, you can’t operate outside the norms of society (or in case of children outside the norm of the family) unless of course you leave in an unjust society then you may act against the establishment for what you believe is right, but this would not be without consequences. When you choose the behavior, you choose the consequences and there will always be consequences. It’s the law of physics “for every action there an equal (in force) and opposite (in direction), reaction.”
I just wanted to say “Hello”
There is a double meaning in the story that I can summarize with two very popular English sayings “If you can’t do the time, don’t do the crime” and “you either pay me, or you will pay me later” There’s no escaping personal responsibility.
Dear paulo,
that reminds me working for a company. How often do people try to evade costs and invest in cheaper solutions until they pay the invetiable price in the end.
This is a wise story.
That’s what happens when someone wants to get away with crime.
I wander why sometimes people think it’s possible, when actually it’s never possible.
It doesn’t matter how, but you will always pay for it.
If not with the fine, you’ll pay for it with your conscious, of course if someone has a conscious, if one didn’t lose it along the way…called life.
And if not even in this life, you’ll pay for it after..
love
Agnieszka
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