It happened once upon a time that a poor Brahmin was resting in the shade at the edge of his barren fields on a hot day, when he saw a large cobra emerge from an ant’s nest. At the sight of the snake, he sat up and thought, “Surely this is a god who rules over this field, and as I have never offered any worship to it, for this neglect I am condemned to poverty.”

Immediately he went home, and returned with a bowl of milk, which he placed before the ant hill, saying, “O venerable god! Hitherto I have been ignorant of your esteemed presence here. I beg you to forgive my error, and accept my worship.”

The next day, he returned to the place, and found the milk gone, and a gold coin lying in the bowl. Thrilled by his good fortune, he took the coin, and made sure that every day thereafter he came again and made an offering to the snake-god, who rewarded him every day with another gold coin.

But after some time, he needed to go away on a journey, and so he gave his son the duty to place the offering before the ant hill, and the next day collect whatever he found there.

The son did as he was instructed, and when he came the next morning and found the coin, thought, “Surely the snake living here sleeps on a pile of gold! I shall bring a shovel, dig it out, kill the snake, and in this way become as rich as a king.”

The young man came with the shovel, and began to dig into the ant hill. When the angry snake emerged he gave it a blow with the shovel, but the snake survived and managed to give the young man a bite from which he shortly died.

As was the custom, the young man’s body was cremated, and when the Brahmin returned from his journey, he learned that his son was no more, and understood what must have happened.

The next morning, he went again with a bowl of milk, and placing it before the ant hill, said, “O venerable god! You have suffered from the ignorance of my son! Forgive his foolishness, and I pray you, let our friendship be as before.”

After a moment, the snake’s head emerged from the opening of the ant hill, and the cobra said to the Brahmin, “Miserable man, you do not even grieve for the death of your son – what feeling can you have for friendship? You come here only out of selfish greed. Be gone! Come here no more, for our friendship is at an end.”