The Brahman, the Thief, and the Ghost

A poor Brahman, given two calves out of pity, raised them with such devoted care -- feeding them butter and oil he had begged for himself -- that they grew plump and valuable, catching the eye of a passing thief who resolved to steal them.

On his way to commit the theft that night, the thief crossed paths with a hideous ghost, who introduced himself as one who ate only once every three days and was, by pure coincidence, planning to eat that very same Brahman that same night. Delighted to find they were headed to the same target, the two agreed to travel together.

But once they arrived and the Brahman fell asleep, a dispute broke out: the ghost wanted to eat the Brahman immediately, while the thief insisted the theft of the cows had to happen first, since any commotion from the ghost's attack would wake the Brahman and ruin the theft -- and vice versa. Each accused the other of threatening to ruin his own plan.

Their argument grew so heated and loud that it woke the Brahman himself, who sat up to find both the danger to his life and the danger to his cows explained to him by his own would-be attackers, each blaming the other. Forewarned by their quarrel, he prayed to his protective deity to save himself from the ghost, then took up a club to drive off the thief and save his cows.

What saved the Brahman was not his own strength or cleverness, but the simple fact that his two enemies, each pursuing a different selfish goal, could not cooperate long enough to avoid exposing themselves -- proof that discord among those who mean you harm can become your own unexpected protection.