Long ago, in a small village lived Vishnudutta, a poor Brahmin farmer. He worked hard but was not able to earn much. His son, Somadutta was always asking for more money. “Be satisfied with what you have, my son," Vishnudutta would say. 

 

One day, Vishnudutta was resting in his field after work. Suddenly, he noticed a snake on the nearby mount. On seeing Vishnudutta, the snake coiled and sat up with a raised hood. “It looks so calm and peaceful. May be it is a deity," thought Vishnudutta. He brought a bowl of milk from his house and offered it to the snake. 

 

Next morning, when Vishnudutta came to collect the bowl, he found a gold coin in it. “I am sure this is a holy snake," he thought. After that it became a regular practice for him to offer prayers and milk to the snake. And every morning he got a gold coin in the bowl near the mount. This made Vishnudutta a rich man. 

 

Once, while Vishnudutta was away, his son Somadutta had to keep the bowl of milk near the snake. As usual, after some time, there was a gold coin in the bowl near the mount. Somadutta thought. “I guess there is a treasure of gold coins beneath this mount. If I can kill this snake and dig under the mount, I will get all the gold!" With gold on his mind, Somadutta tried to kill the snake. The snake bit Somadutta and managed to escape. 

 

When Vishnudutta returned, his wife told him everything. “I always warned you against greed," said Vishnudutta to his son. Then he ran towards the holy snake. With folded hands, he asked for forgiveness and offered milk to the holy snake.