The Story of the Iron Balance and the Merchant’s Son
A Panchatantra Tale for Young Children
Chapter 1: The Prosperous Merchant
In a bustling city filled with colorful markets and busy streets, there lived a wealthy merchant named Jinadatta. His shop was one of the finest in the marketplace, filled with beautiful silks, precious spices, gleaming jewelry, and valuable goods from distant lands.
Jinadatta was known throughout the city not only for his fine merchandise but also for his honesty and fair dealing. Customers traveled from far and wide to trade with him because they trusted him completely.
“Jinadatta always gives fair measure,” people would say. “His word is as good as gold.”
The merchant’s most prized possession was a magnificent iron balance scale that had been passed down through his family for generations. It was perfectly calibrated, beautifully crafted, and weighed exactly one hundred pounds. This balance was not just a tool for his trade—it was a symbol of his family’s reputation for honesty and precision.
CLANG! CLANG! Every morning, the sound of Jinadatta weighing goods on his precious balance would echo through the marketplace as customers lined up to do business with the trustworthy merchant.
“This balance has never given a false measurement,” Jinadatta would tell his customers proudly. “My grandfather used it, my father used it, and now I use it to ensure every transaction is perfectly fair.”
The iron balance sat in a place of honor in his shop, polished until it gleamed and treated with the utmost care and respect.
Chapter 2: Times of Trouble
Unfortunately, even the most successful merchants sometimes face difficult times. A series of unfortunate events began to affect Jinadatta’s business.
First, a ship carrying his most valuable goods was lost in a terrible storm at sea. Then, several customers who owed him large sums of money moved away without paying their debts. Finally, a fire in the warehouse district damaged some of his remaining inventory.
“Oh dear,” sighed Jinadatta, looking at his account books with growing concern. “My expenses are much greater than my income. If this continues, I may lose everything my family has built over generations.”
Day by day, his financial situation grew worse. He had to sell some of his finest merchandise just to pay for basic expenses like rent and food for his family.
“I never thought I would see such difficult times,” he worried aloud. “What will I do if my business fails completely?”
As his debts mounted and his inventory dwindled, Jinadatta realized he might need to take drastic action to survive these challenging circumstances.
One evening, as he sat in his shop looking at his beloved family balance, a desperate idea began to form in his mind.
Chapter 3: The Difficult Decision
Jinadatta stared at his precious iron balance, feeling torn between his family’s honor and his desperate financial situation.
“This balance is worth a considerable amount of money,” he thought sadly. “The iron alone would fetch a good price, and there are collectors who would pay handsomely for such a fine piece.”
But the thought of selling his family’s most treasured possession filled him with shame and regret.
“My ancestors would be horrified,” he murmured. “This balance represents everything our family stands for—honesty, precision, and trustworthiness in business.”
However, as the days passed and his situation became more desperate, Jinadatta finally made the painful decision to sell the balance.
“I’ll only keep it sold temporarily,” he told himself, trying to ease his conscience. “Once my business recovers, I’ll buy it back and return it to its rightful place in my shop.”
But who could he trust with such a precious and meaningful transaction? He needed someone reliable, someone who would understand the value of the balance and treat it with proper respect.
Then he remembered his old friend Ishvaradatta, another merchant who lived in a nearby city. They had known each other since childhood and had always maintained a relationship built on mutual trust and respect.
“Ishvaradatta will understand my situation,” Jinadatta decided. “He’s honest and trustworthy, and he’ll take good care of my balance until I can reclaim it.”
Chapter 4: The Trusted Friend
Jinadatta carefully wrapped his precious iron balance in fine cloth and set out on the journey to visit his childhood friend Ishvaradatta.
When he arrived at Ishvaradatta’s home, he was warmly welcomed.
“Jinadatta, my old friend!” exclaimed Ishvaradatta with genuine joy. “What a wonderful surprise! Come in, come in! You must tell me all about your life and business!”
They spent the evening catching up on old times, sharing stories about their families and businesses, and enjoying each other’s company just as they had in their youth.
“It’s so good to see you,” said Ishvaradatta sincerely. “True friendships like ours are rare and precious treasures.”
The next morning, Jinadatta approached his friend with a heavy heart.
“My dear Ishvaradatta,” he began carefully, “I find myself in a difficult situation, and I need to ask a favor of a trusted friend.”
“Of course!” replied Ishvaradatta immediately. “Anything I can do to help, I will gladly do. What do you need?”
“I have some urgent business to attend to in a distant city,” Jinadatta explained, not wanting to reveal the full extent of his financial troubles. “I was wondering if you could keep something very precious safe for me while I’m away—my family’s iron balance.”
“Your famous family balance?” said Ishvaradatta, impressed. “I’ve heard about it for years! It would be an honor to keep such a valuable piece safe for you.”
“Thank you so much,” said Jinadatta, feeling both relieved and guilty. “I’ll return for it as soon as my business is concluded.”
Chapter 5: The Secret Plan
After Jinadatta left his balance with Ishvaradatta and returned home, he immediately began working on his secret plan. Instead of traveling to attend to business as he had told his friend, he quietly sold the balance to a collector for a substantial sum of money.
“This should be enough to pay my most urgent debts and keep my business running for several more months,” he thought with a mixture of relief and shame.
Jinadatta used the money wisely, paying off his creditors, restocking his shop with new merchandise, and carefully managing his finances. Slowly but surely, his business began to recover.
However, keeping such a big secret weighed heavily on his conscience. Every day, he thought about his lie to Ishvaradatta and worried about what would happen when he eventually had to return and ask for his balance back.
“What will I tell him?” he wondered anxiously. “How can I possibly explain that the balance I entrusted to his care is no longer mine to reclaim?”
Months passed, and still Jinadatta couldn’t bring himself to visit his friend or even send word about when he might return.
“I’ll just wait a little longer,” he kept telling himself. “Maybe I’ll earn enough money to buy a replacement balance, and Ishvaradatta will never need to know what really happened.”
But deep down, he knew he was only postponing the inevitable confrontation with his deception.
Chapter 6: The Shameful Return
Finally, after nearly a year had passed, Jinadatta knew he could no longer avoid returning to face his friend. His business had improved enough that he felt he could handle the situation, though he still had no idea how to explain what had really happened to the balance.
“I’ll have to tell him some story,” he thought desperately. “But what kind of lie could possibly explain the disappearance of a hundred-pound iron balance?”
When he arrived at Ishvaradatta’s home, he was again welcomed warmly.
“Jinadatta! My dear friend!” called Ishvaradatta happily. “I was beginning to worry about you! How did your business journey go? I hope everything worked out well!”
“Oh, yes, very well indeed,” lied Jinadatta, feeling worse with each false word. “Thank you so much for asking.”
They spent the evening talking and sharing a meal, but Jinadatta felt increasingly uncomfortable knowing he would soon have to deceive his trusting friend.
The next morning, Ishvaradatta smiled and said, “I suppose you’ll be wanting your precious family balance back now that your business is concluded?”
This was the moment Jinadatta had been dreading for months.
“Well, actually,” he began hesitantly, “there’s a rather unfortunate situation I need to tell you about.”
“Oh?” said Ishvaradatta, looking concerned. “What kind of situation?”
Chapter 7: The Ridiculous Excuse
Jinadatta took a deep breath and delivered the absurd lie he had been rehearsing.
“I’m terribly sorry to have to tell you this,” he said with fake sadness, “but your storage room must have had mice in it. When I went to check on my balance yesterday, I discovered that the mice had completely eaten it!”
Ishvaradatta stared at his friend in complete amazement.
“Mice?” he repeated slowly. “Mice ate your iron balance?”
“Yes, I’m afraid so,” Jinadatta continued with his ridiculous story. “You know how much mice love to gnaw on iron. They must have worked on it bit by bit until the entire hundred-pound balance was completely consumed. There was nothing left but tiny iron filings scattered on the floor.”
“Mice ate a hundred-pound iron balance,” Ishvaradatta said again, his voice carefully controlled.
“I know it’s hard to believe,” said Jinadatta, avoiding his friend’s eyes. “But mice in this region are apparently quite different from those in my city. They seem to have a particular appetite for iron. It’s really quite remarkable, from a scientific standpoint.”
Ishvaradatta looked at his childhood friend for a long moment, realizing that he was being told an outrageous lie but not yet understanding why.
“Well,” he finally said in a very calm voice, “I suppose these things happen. Please don’t worry about it, my dear friend. I’m just sorry that your valuable family heirloom was lost while in my care.”
“You’re so understanding,” said Jinadatta, feeling even more guilty about deceiving such a kind and trusting person.
Chapter 8: The Friend’s Clever Response
Although Ishvaradatta accepted Jinadatta’s ridiculous story without argument, he was deeply hurt and puzzled by his friend’s obvious deception. He spent the rest of the day thinking about why someone he had trusted completely would lie to him so blatantly.
“There must be more to this story,” he thought to himself. “But why would Jinadatta feel the need to deceive me? Haven’t we always been honest with each other?”
That evening, Ishvaradatta decided to teach his friend a lesson about the consequences of dishonesty and deception.
“Jinadatta,” he said pleasantly, “I have an idea. Since you’ve lost your balance and had to make this difficult journey for nothing, why don’t you stay and rest for a few more days? Let me show you some hospitality to make up for the unfortunate situation with the mice.”
“That’s very kind of you,” replied Jinadatta, feeling increasingly uncomfortable but not sure how to gracefully leave.
“In fact,” continued Ishvaradatta, “tomorrow I need to visit the temple on the hill outside town. Why don’t you let your son come with me? The fresh air and exercise will do him good, and he can see the beautiful view from the hilltop.”
Jinadatta had brought his young son Dhanadatta on this trip, and the boy had been getting restless staying indoors.
“That sounds wonderful,” agreed Jinadatta. “Dhanadatta would love to see the temple and the countryside.”
“Excellent!” said Ishvaradatta with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “We’ll have a lovely outing.”
Chapter 9: The Missing Son
The next morning, Ishvaradatta and young Dhanadatta set off for the temple together. They had a pleasant walk, enjoyed the beautiful scenery, and spent time exploring the temple grounds.
But when evening came, Ishvaradatta returned alone.
“Where is Dhanadatta?” asked Jinadatta immediately, feeling a surge of worry when he saw that his son was not with his friend.
“Oh, I’m so terribly sorry,” said Ishvaradatta with exaggerated sadness. “The most unfortunate thing happened. While we were at the temple, a large hawk swooped down and carried your son away!”
“WHAT?!” exclaimed Jinadatta in horror. “A hawk carried away my son?!”
“Yes, it was quite remarkable,” continued Ishvaradatta in the same tone Jinadatta had used to describe the mice. “These hawks in our region are apparently much larger and stronger than those in your city. This one was easily able to lift a boy of Dhanadatta’s size and fly away with him. It happened so quickly, there was nothing I could do to stop it.”
“That’s impossible!” shouted Jinadatta angrily. “No hawk is strong enough to carry away a full-grown boy! Hawks catch mice and small birds, not children!”
“Well,” said Ishvaradatta calmly, “I suppose these things happen. Hawks in different regions have different capabilities. I’m just sorry that your son was lost while in my care.”
“This is ridiculous!” Jinadatta raged. “You’re lying to me! No hawk could possibly carry away my son!”
“My dear friend,” replied Ishvaradatta with perfect composure, “if mice in my region are strong enough to eat a hundred-pound iron balance, surely hawks in my region are strong enough to carry away one small boy.”
Chapter 10: The Moment of Truth
Jinadatta stopped shouting and stared at his friend, suddenly understanding the lesson he was being taught.
“You know I lied about the balance,” he said quietly.
“Of course I know,” replied Ishvaradatta sadly. “Did you really think I would believe such an absurd story? Mice eating iron? The question is not whether I knew you were lying, but why you felt you needed to lie to me at all.”
Jinadatta felt his face burn with shame. “Where is my son? Is he safe?”
“Your son is perfectly safe,” assured Ishvaradatta. “He’s having dinner with my family in the next room. I would never actually put a child in danger just to make a point.”
“Thank goodness,” breathed Jinadatta, feeling weak with relief.
“But now you understand how it feels to be told an impossible lie about something precious that was entrusted to someone’s care,” continued Ishvaradatta. “The fear, the anger, the sense of betrayal—this is what you put me through with your story about mice.”
Jinadatta hung his head in shame. “You’re absolutely right. I’m so sorry, my friend. I never should have lied to you.”
“Tell me what really happened to the balance,” said Ishvaradatta gently. “Whatever the truth is, it can’t be worse than the lie you told me.”
Chapter 11: The Full Confession
With tears in his eyes, Jinadatta told his friend the complete truth about his financial troubles, his desperate decision to sell the balance, and his inability to face the consequences of his deception.
“I was so ashamed,” he concluded. “I had betrayed your trust and sold something that wasn’t even mine to sell anymore once I had given it to you for safekeeping. I didn’t know how to tell you the truth, so I convinced myself that a lie would be easier.”
“Oh, my dear friend,” said Ishvaradatta with genuine compassion, “why didn’t you just tell me about your financial difficulties from the beginning? Do you think so little of our friendship that you believed I wouldn’t help you?”
“What do you mean?” asked Jinadatta, confused.
“If you had told me you needed money desperately, I would have gladly loaned it to you,” explained Ishvaradatta. “If you had asked me to sell the balance for you, I would have handled the transaction and kept the money safe until you were ready to buy it back. If you had simply said you needed to sell your family heirloom to survive, I would have understood and supported you.”
Jinadatta realized the full extent of his foolishness. “You mean I put us both through all this pain and deception for nothing?”
“Not for nothing,” said Ishvaradatta thoughtfully. “You’ve learned something very important about the difference between true friendship and the kind of relationships where people feel they have to hide their problems and lie about their mistakes.”
Chapter 12: The Deeper Lesson
“I don’t understand,” said Jinadatta. “What’s the difference?”
“A true friend,” explained Ishvaradatta, “is someone you can trust with your troubles as well as your treasures. When you chose to lie to me instead of asking for help, you were treating me like a business acquaintance rather than a real friend.”
“But I was so ashamed of my failure,” protested Jinadatta.
“And do you think I would have thought less of you for facing temporary difficulties?” asked Ishvaradatta. “Do you think I would have judged you for needing help during hard times?”
Jinadatta thought carefully before answering. “No, I suppose not. You’ve always been kind and understanding.”
“Exactly,” said Ishvaradatta. “But your lie told me that you didn’t trust me to remain your friend if I knew about your problems. It told me that you thought our friendship was so shallow that it couldn’t survive honesty about difficulties.”
“I never thought about it that way,” admitted Jinadatta sadly.
“When we lie to people we claim to care about,” continued Ishvaradatta, “we’re actually showing them that we don’t think very highly of their character or their love for us.”
“That’s a terrible realization,” said Jinadatta. “I hurt you by not trusting you to be the good friend I’ve always known you to be.”
Chapter 13: Rebuilding Trust
“So what do we do now?” asked Jinadatta. “How can I possibly make up for deceiving you so badly?”
“You’ve already taken the most important step,” replied Ishvaradatta. “You’ve told me the complete truth. That’s the foundation that trust has to be rebuilt on.”
“But how can you ever trust me again after this?”
“Trust isn’t something that’s either completely present or completely absent,” explained Ishvaradatta wisely. “It’s something that grows gradually through consistent honest behavior over time.”
“You mean you’re willing to give me another chance?”
“I’m willing to give our friendship another chance,” corrected Ishvaradatta. “But it will take time and effort from both of us to rebuild what was damaged by this deception.”
“What kind of effort?” asked Jinadatta.
“From you, I’ll need to see that you’ve really learned to value honesty over convenience,” said Ishvaradatta. “That means telling me the truth even when it’s difficult or embarrassing.”
“And from you?” asked Jinadatta.
“From me, I’ll need to work on forgiving you completely and not holding this mistake against you forever,” admitted Ishvaradatta. “That’s not always easy to do, but it’s what real friendship requires.”
They sat in thoughtful silence for a few moments, both contemplating the work ahead of them.
Chapter 14: The Practical Solution
“Now,” said Ishvaradatta practically, “let’s solve the immediate problem. You said you sold the balance to pay debts and restart your business. How is your financial situation now?”
“Much better,” replied Jinadatta honestly. “The money from selling the balance gave me the breathing room I needed, and I’ve been managing my business more carefully. I’m not wealthy, but I’m no longer in desperate straits.”
“Good,” said Ishvaradatta. “And do you know who bought your balance?”
“Yes, a collector in my city. He seemed very pleased with it.”
“Here’s what I suggest,” said Ishvaradatta. “I’ll loan you the money to buy back your family balance from the collector. You can repay me gradually as your business continues to improve.”
“You would do that?” asked Jinadatta, amazed by his friend’s generosity after everything that had happened.
“Of course,” said Ishvaradatta. “That’s what I would have done in the first place if you had just told me the truth from the beginning.”
“But what if I can’t repay you as quickly as promised?” worried Jinadatta.
“Then you’ll tell me honestly about your situation, and we’ll work out a new payment plan,” said Ishvaradatta simply. “That’s how trust works—through honest communication, even about problems.”
“I promise I’ll never lie to you again,” said Jinadatta solemnly.
“Don’t make promises about being perfect,” advised Ishvaradatta. “Instead, promise that when you make mistakes, you’ll tell me about them honestly instead of trying to cover them up with lies.”
Chapter 15: The Lesson Spreads
When Jinadatta returned home with the money to buy back his family balance, he felt compelled to share the story of his experience with others who were facing similar difficulties.
“I learned that lying to solve problems only creates bigger problems,” he would tell struggling merchants who came to him for advice. “And I learned that true friends are people you can trust with your troubles, not just people you share good times with.”
“But what if we’re too ashamed to admit our failures?” asked one young merchant who was facing financial difficulties.
“Shame kept me from getting the help I actually needed,” replied Jinadatta. “My friend was willing and able to help me from the beginning, but my shame made me choose deception instead of honesty.”
“What’s the difference between trusting someone and burdening them with your problems?” asked another merchant.
“A real friend wants to know when you’re struggling,” explained Jinadatta. “Keeping your troubles secret from people who care about you actually pushes them away instead of protecting them.”
Word of Jinadatta’s story spread throughout the merchant community. Business people began to understand that admitting difficulties and asking for help were signs of wisdom and trust, not signs of weakness or failure.
Parents started telling their children about the iron balance and the hawk to teach them about the consequences of deception.
“Remember,” they would say, “when we lie to solve one problem, we usually create several new problems that are much worse than the original one.”
Teachers used the story to help students understand that trust between friends is built through honesty about difficulties, not just through sharing happy times.
Chapter 16: The Restored Friendship
Years later, Jinadatta and Ishvaradatta had rebuilt their friendship into something even stronger than it had been before the incident with the balance.
“You know,” said Ishvaradatta during one of their visits, “I’m actually grateful that whole situation happened.”
“Grateful?” asked Jinadatta in surprise. “Even though it caused so much pain and trouble?”
“Yes, because it taught both of us important lessons about what real friendship means,” explained Ishvaradatta. “Before that happened, our friendship was pleasant but shallow. We only shared good news and happy times with each other.”
“That’s true,” agreed Jinadatta thoughtfully. “I never would have told you about serious problems because I was afraid of looking weak or unsuccessful.”
“And I never would have offered to help with serious problems because I didn’t realize you might need that kind of support,” added Ishvaradatta. “We were friendly acquaintances rather than true friends.”
“So now we know that real friendship means trusting each other with difficulties as well as joys,” said Jinadatta.
“Exactly,” said Ishvaradatta. “And we know that working through problems together actually strengthens relationships instead of weakening them.”
Their friendship became a model for others in both their cities. Business people, families, and friends looked to them as examples of how relationships could grow stronger through honest communication, even about difficult topics.
The famous iron balance was restored to its place of honor in Jinadatta’s shop, but now it represented more than just honest business dealings. It had become a symbol of the importance of honesty in all relationships and the power of true friendship to survive and grow stronger through challenges.
The End
Moral of the Story
Lying to protect ourselves or avoid consequences usually creates much bigger problems than telling the truth would have caused. True friends want to help us through difficulties, but they can only do so if we trust them enough to be honest about our problems. Deception damages relationships not only because lies are wrong, but because lying to someone shows that we don’t really trust their love and friendship. When we make mistakes, admitting them honestly and working together to find solutions strengthens relationships instead of destroying them.
Fun Questions for Young Readers
Think About the Story:
🏪 About Jinadatta: What good qualities did the merchant have? How did his shame lead him to make poor choices?
⚖️ The Iron Balance: Why was the balance so important to Jinadatta’s family? What did it represent?
🤝 About Friendship: What’s the difference between a casual friend and a true friend according to this story?
😱 The Big Lie: Why did Jinadatta think lying about mice eating iron would work? What made this excuse so ridiculous?
🦅 The Hawk Story: Why did Ishvaradatta tell an equally ridiculous lie? What was he trying to teach his friend?
💭 Problem Solving: What should Jinadatta have done instead of lying when he needed money?
🔄 Making Things Right: How did the friends rebuild their trust after the deception was revealed?
🌟 Learning and Growing: What did both friends learn about the true meaning of friendship?
Fun Activities:
🎨 Draw the Scene: Which part would you like to illustrate? The merchant weighing goods, the hawk “carrying away” the boy, or the friends talking honestly?
⚖️ Balance Game: Try using a simple balance or scale to understand how important accurate measurement was to merchants.
🎭 Act It Out: Practice telling the difference between believable explanations and obviously ridiculous excuses.
🗣️ Truth Practice: Role-play difficult conversations where honesty might be hard but important.
Discussion Questions for Parents and Kids:
👨👩👧👦 Family Trust: How do we show family members that they can trust us with their problems?
🤐 When Lying Seems Easier: What can we do when telling the truth feels scary or embarrassing?
💪 Asking for Help: Why is it sometimes hard to ask for help? How can we make it easier for others to ask us for help?
🔧 Fixing Mistakes: What’s the best way to handle the situation when we’ve made a mistake or poor choice?
🌈 True Friendship: What’s the difference between friends who only share fun times and friends who support each other through difficulties?
🎯 Trust Building: How do people earn trust? How can trust be rebuilt after it’s been broken?
💫 Problem Solving: What are better ways to solve problems than lying or hiding them?
🏠 Family Values: How can families create an atmosphere where everyone feels safe telling the truth about their mistakes?
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