বিজয় বারো মনি

Many years ago, in a certain village, there lived two old neighboring men.

One was named Bijoy and the other was named Moni.

Bijoy was a very simple-natured man, while Moni was quite scheming and stubborn.

Bijoy lived in the house on the left and Moni on the right, and between their properties lay a border ridge.

Because they lived side by side, they would constantly have arguments, they wouldn't talk to each other, and they wouldn't go to each other's houses.

Old Man Moni had a pair of oxen for plowing, and Vijay had no oxen for plowing, but he had a cow and a calf.

One day, when Bijoy's calf broke its rope and wandered into Moni's cowshed, Moni quickly locked it up and claimed that his own ox had given birth to it.

Meanwhile, Vijay's cow is crying for a calf.

The calf is calling from Monir's cowshed.

There was an elder in their village, his name was 'Radhakanta'.

Vijay tried to convince him to tell Mani to return his calf.

But Moni remained stubborn in his obstinacy, like trying to squeeze water from a stone.

He refused to listen, repeatedly asserting that his ox gave birth this calf, meaning his claim is same.

The village council gathered, but they could by no means make Moni understand that an ox cannot give birth to a calf.

The calf stayed in Moni's shed, while Bijoy's shed remained empty.

Unable to endure this injustice, Bijoy took up his umbrella and walking stick in rage and set out toward another forest hoping for higher justice.

Crossing his own village, he entered a vast field and a deep forest.

Upon crossing that forest, a peaceful village appeared on the slopes of the hill.

He had set out to go there.

Suddenly, he saw a strange sight by the path—an old fox wearing a pair of bent spectacles was intensely scanning an old newspaper turning it over and over.

Seeing this, Bijoy thought to himself, 'This old fox must surely be a great scholar; if I submit the story of my complex dispute to him, a proper judgment might be achieved.'

Thinking this, he humbly approached the old fox and explained the entire account of his sorrow.

The fox pundit, having heard everything, told Bijoy, 'Worry no more; tomorrow, gather all the people of your village in one place, and I shall appear there at 4 o'clock in the afternoon.'

Saying this, the fox bid Bijoy farewell.

Meanwhile, Vijay returned to his village and conveyed this message to the village elders and invited them to the trial.

He stated that everyone must sit together for a hearing tomorrow, and a great fox pundit from the forest would take part in the judgment.

Hearing Bijoy's strange words, the next day at 4 o'clock in the afternoon, all the village folk gathered in curiosity at the spot and waited.

An hour after the appointed time, the fox scholar arrived at the meeting place dramatically, holding a bottomless coconut hookah in one hand and pretending to smoke with it.

As for why he was late, he said in a serious voice, 'On the way, a huge pond had formed at the place where the cows and buffaloes were walking. While crossing it, the fire from my hookah fell into the water and it caught fire!'

The fish, shrimp, and crab fry all burned to death in that fire in the pond, and since I'm a fox, I jumped into the water in the hope of eating the burnt fish, and it was a little too late to eat it, so don't mind for the delay.'

The gathered villagers asked in astonishment, 'How on earth can a fire break out in water?'

We didn't come here to listen to such nonsense', we'd better leave!

The fox pundit then calmed everyone down and said, 'Please reflect upon my words with a cool head.'

'If the ox belonging to Moni in your village can give birth to a calf, then why should it be impossible for a fire to break out in deep water?'

Upon hearing this, the entire truth became evident, and everyone cried out together that an ox could never give birth to a calf.

Finally, the village council ruled the calf to be Bijoy's, and thus this complex judgment came to an end.