The Sage and the theif - Panchatantra stories in English

The story is about a sage named Deva Sharma who carries a bag of money with him at all times. He is followed by a thief named Ashadhabhooti who wants to steal the bag. The thief pretends to be the sage’s disciple and accompanies him on a journey to another village. On the way, they have to cross a river and the sage asks the thief to look after his bag while he goes to relieve himself. The thief sees this as an opportunity and runs away with the bag. However, he soon realizes that the bag contains only copper coins and not gold or silver as he had expected. He feels cheated and angry and decides to return the bag to the sage. He finds the sage waiting for him on the other side of the river. The sage is not surprised or angry at the thief’s actions. He calmly tells him that he knew his intentions from the beginning and that he wanted to teach him a lesson. He says that honesty is the best policy and that one should not covet other’s wealth. He also says that he is willing to forgive the thief if he repents and changes his ways. The thief feels ashamed and sorry for his deeds. He asks for the sage’s forgiveness and promises to become an honest man. The sage blesses him and accepts him as his true disciple.

Moral of the Story
The moral of the story is that honesty is the best policy and that one should not covet other's wealth.