Somnath the farmer was scared of monkeys. That was because, when he was a small boy, once a monkey descended before him and snatched away from his hand a sweetmeat he had half eaten. When the boy cried, the monkey silenced him by planting a slap on his cheek.
That had been too fearful an experience for Somnath to forget. He avoided monkeys as much as he could.
But can a farmer avoid monkeys all his life? He had to go to the fields, after all. And monkeys are free to jump from tree to tree or to scamper along the fields all the time!
One day it so happened that while Somnath sat leaning against a tree, relaxing for a statue. The monkeys did not care for him but began handling the bundle he had hung on the tree. The bundle contained his old towel and some parched rice.
The monkeys opened the bundle and tore the towel to pieces and ate the parched rice happily.
Thereafter their attention went over to Somnath. They were perhaps surprised that he did not quarrel with them nor
did he try to protect his bundle. Slowly they approached him. Somnath grew stiffer. He was almost in a swoon.
The monkeys touched him and shook him, but he remained like a stone. They chattered among themselves. Some of
the while, he saw a troupe of monks- they went away and returned in no time with a handful of coins. They spread the coins before him and each of them bowed to him. Then they left the place in search of some new adventure.
Somnath understood that the monkeys had somewhere seen devotees bowing to a holy man or an idol and placing their offerings there. Since they love to imitate, they had at last done it. They must have taken away the money from some traveller as they took away his rice.
Somnath owed some money to the village moneylender who was harassing him for it. He went straight to his house and paid his dues. The moneylender was surprised. “How could you get so much money so suddenly?” he asked Somnath.
Somnath reported the episode to him. The moneylender was quite excited by the report.
The next day he too carried a bundle of rice and hung it on the Same tree and sat leaning against it. The troupe of monkeys came and put the rice to good use. Then they approached the moneylender and began to touch him. Now,
the moneylender was extremely vulnerable to tickling. If anyone touched his armpit or waist, he would give out shrieks which were a mixture of laughter and fear.
That is exactly what he did. The monkeys were amused and they went on tickling him till he almost swooned away.
And that was the end of it. The monkeys made no offering to him. Perhaps they had no more coins left with them,
anyway!
