Tale of Golden droppings

On a big tree in the lap of a mountain lived a bird named Sindhuka. Its droppings used to turn into gold as soon as they hit the ground. One day, a hunter came to the tree in search of prey and saw Sindhuka’s droppings hit the ground and turn into gold. The hunter was wonder struck. “I have been hunting birds and small animals since I was a boy. I am now eighty years old. I have never in my life seen this kind of miracle.” He decided to trap the bird and set a noose for him. Not aware of the trap, the bird stayed on the branch singing merrily. Soon, the noose tightened and the hunter caught the bird and pushed him into his cage. The hunter then took it home and considered, “If the king comes to know of this wonder, he will certainly take away the bird. Instead, I will go to the king and present him this unique bird.”The following day the hunter took the bird and presented it to the king with great reverence. The king was extremely happy and told his men to keep the bird in safely and feed it the best bird food. But his minister was reluctant to accept the bird. He said, “O Majesty, there is no use in trusting the word of this hunter. Has anyone ever seen a bird dropping gold? I request you to release the bird from the cage.” The king ordered the bird to be set free. As soon as the door of the cage opened, the bird perched itself on a nearby doorway and some droppings fell. They immediately turned into gold. Sindhuka exclaimed, “First, I was a fool, then the hunter, then the king, then his ministers! Now I am free.” Then Sindhuka flew away.