The Brahmin and the Three Thieves
Also known as Brahman aur Teen Thug
- 3 minute read
- Ages 7-11
- Panchatantra Stories
A poor brahmin was given a goat as a gift for performing a ceremony. It was a healthy goat, and he was pleased with it. He lifted it onto his shoulders and set off along the road towards his village.
Three thieves saw him pass and wanted that goat very much.
"We cannot take it by force," said the first. "He will shout, and there are houses along this road."
"Then we will not take it," said the second. "He will give it to us."
And he explained his plan.
The first thief
The three of them ran ahead by different paths.
A mile up the road the first thief stepped out of the trees and stopped in front of the brahmin, staring.
"Sir," he said, in a shocked voice, "you are a holy man. Why are you carrying a dog on your shoulders?"
"A dog?" said the brahmin. "This is a goat. I can feel it breathing."
The thief shook his head slowly, looking sorry for him, and walked away without another word.
The brahmin walked on. But he did put his hand up and feel the animal's back, just to be certain.
The second thief
Half a mile further, the second thief came round the bend.
He stopped dead. He looked at the brahmin's shoulders and then at his face.
"Forgive me," he said. "It is not my business. But a man of your position, carrying a dead calf through the middle of the day? People will talk."
"It is not a dead calf," said the brahmin. His voice was not as firm as it had been. "It is a goat. Somebody has already told me it is a dog."
"Then you have met one confused person and now a second," said the thief. "I only say what I see." And he went on his way.
The brahmin walked more slowly after that. He put the animal down twice and looked at it. It looked like a goat. It certainly looked like a goat.
The third thief
At the crossroads outside the village, the third thief was waiting.
He took one look and jumped backwards.
"Do not come near me!" he cried. "You are carrying a donkey! A brahmin carrying a donkey on his shoulders! You will be unclean for a year!"
And that was enough.
The brahmin thought: three men, on three different parts of the road, none of whom know each other. Three men cannot all be wrong. Something is on my shoulders that is not what I think it is.
He threw the animal down in the road and ran for his village without looking back.
The three thieves came out of the trees, picked up the goat, and had a very good dinner.
Moral of the story
A lie repeated often enough starts to sound like the truth. Trust what you can see and touch for yourself, not the number of people telling you otherwise.
Questions and answers
- How did the brahmin get the goat?
It was given to him as a gift in return for performing a religious ceremony.
- Why did the thieves decide not to take the goat by force?
They knew the brahmin would shout for help and there were houses along the road, so they would be caught.
- What did each of the three thieves claim the goat was?
The first said it was a dog, the second said it was a dead calf, and the third said it was a donkey.
- Why did the brahmin finally believe them?
He reasoned that three separate strangers who did not know each other could not all be mistaken about the same thing.
- What should the brahmin have done differently?
He should have trusted his own eyes and hands. He could see and feel that the animal was a goat, but he let repeated claims override what he knew.
Word meanings
- brahmin
- A member of the priestly class in traditional Indian society.
- ceremony
- A formal religious or public event with set actions and words.
- unclean
- Considered impure, especially in a religious sense.
- crossroads
- A place where two roads cross each other.
Questions about The Brahmin and the Three Thieves
What is the moral of The Brahmin and the Three Thieves?
The moral is that repeating a lie many times can make people doubt what they know to be true. It teaches children to trust evidence over the opinion of a crowd.
Why is this story still taught today?
Because the trick still works. The story is often used to explain how rumours and false information spread when many voices repeat the same claim.
Did the brahmin ever get his goat back?
No. He ran away and left it in the road, and the three thieves took it and ate it.
What is this story called in Hindi?
It is usually known as Brahman aur Teen Thug, meaning 'the brahmin and the three tricksters'.