Once upon a time, in a village surrounded by lush fields, there lived a kind-
hearted farmer. His garden was filled with colorful fruits and grains, and in one
corner stood a tall jackfruit tree packed with sweet, juicy fruits that could be
smelled from far away.
One day, the farmer decided to pick a ripe jackfruit from his tree. But as he came
nearer, he saw someone sitting up in the branches. Curious, the farmer called
out, “Who’s up in my tree? And what are you doing there?”
From above, a voice replied, “I am the owner of this tree, a tree deity. The fruits
belong to me, so I came to enjoy them.”
The farmer had never heard of a tree deity owning a jackfruit tree, so, the farmer,
who had doubts about this, thought of a plan to see if there was really a tree deity
on the tree.
He gathered dry sticks and lit a fire under the tree, adding some dried chilies for
extra smoke.
The smoke filled the air, making it uncomfortable for anyone up in the tree.
Coughing and wheezing, the tree deity climbed down.
Then the farmer saw that it was not a tree deity but one of the farmer’s neighbors,
who had sneaked into the tree to eat the delicious fruits.
Feeling ashamed, the neighbor apologized to the farmer.
Seeing the truthfulness in his neighbor’s eyes, the kind farmer forgave him and
offered a slice of jackfruit.
He also taught him how to plant the seeds from the fruit to grow his own jackfruit
tree.
Jackfruit Tree
0:00