The Magic Priest and the Kidnapper Gang

　　[Power and Greed]

　　Once upon a time in Benares, there was a king named Brahmadatta. In one of the kingdom”s remote villages, there was a priest who had magical power. He knew a special magic spell which was a secret given to him by his teacher.

　　This spell could be used only once a year, when the planets were lined up in a certain way. Only then, the priest could say the secret magic words into his open palms. Then he looked up into the sky, clapped his hands, and a shower of precious jewels came down on him.

　　The magic priest was also a teacher. He had a very good student, who was intelligent and able to understand the most difficult ideas. He was obedient and faithful, always wishing to honour and protect his master.

　　One day, the priest had to go on a trip to a faraway village, in order to perform an animal sacrifice. Since he had to take a dangerous road, the good student went with him.

　　Along this road there happened to be a gang of 500 bandits. They were known as the ”Kidnapper Gang”. They captured people and demanded ransom money in return for letting them live.

　　Lo and behold, the magic priest and his good student were captured by the Kidnapper Gang. They set the ransom at 5,000 gold coins, and sent the student to go get it, in order to save his master”s life.

　　Before leaving, the student knelt before his teacher and bowed respectfully. He said to him quietly, so the bandits could not hear, "Oh master, tonight is the one night of the year when the planets will be lined up perfectly. Only then can your magic spell be used to shower you with jewels from the sky. However, I must warn you, my beloved and respected teacher, that to use such a power to save yourself from such greedy men as these would be extremely dangerous. Obtaining great wealth so easily must lead to disaster for men like them. And if you think only of your own safety, bringing such harm to them will cause danger to you as well.

　　"Therefore, I warn you, do not give in to the desire to make the spell of jewels. Let the lucky night pass by for this year. Even if these bandits harm you, trust your faithful student to save you, without adding to your danger." So saying, he took his leave.

　　That evening, the kidnappers tied up the magic priest tightly, and left him outside their cave for the night. They gave him nothing to eat or drink.

　　After the moon came out, the priest saw the planets lining up so his spell could work. He thought, "Why should I suffer like this

　　 I can magically pay my own ransom. Why should I care if harm comes to these 500 kidnappers

　　 I am a magic priest. My life is worth much more than theirs. I care only for my own life. And besides, this lucky night only comes but once a year. I cannot waste the chance to use my great power!"

　　Having decided to ignore the advice of the good student, he called the kidnappers and said, "Oh brave and mighty ones, why do you want to tie me up and make me suffer

　　"

　　They replied, "Oh holy priest, we need money. We have many mouths to feed. We must have money, and lots of it!"

　　The magic priest said, "Ah, you did this for money

　　 Is that all there is to it

　　 In that case, I will make you rich beyond your wildest dreams! For I am great and powerful. As a holy priest, you can trust me. You must untie me, wash my head and face, dress me in new clothes, and cover me with flowers. Then, after so honouring me properly, leave me alone to do my magic."

　　The kidnappers followed his instructions. But, not trusting him completely, they hid in the bushes and secretly watched him.

　　This is what they saw. The washed and flower-covered priest looked up into the sky. Seeing that the planets were lined up in the special lucky pattern, he lowered his head and muttered the magic spell into his…

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