Once upon a time there was a man named Deenu, who lived in a corner of the forest and had two cows. Deenu always took good care of the cows, and was able to live by selling their milk in the village. Each day he had to carry the milk a long way through the forest, but he preferred to live this way because he found the village to be noisy and often inharmonious.

One day, after watching people arguing and trying to cheat each other in the market, he came home asking himself why there was so little honesty in the world. “I do not like lying,” he said to himself. “I want to find truth.”

A few days later, taking his cows to a nearby pool, he discovered a sadhu sitting under a tree in meditation. Deenu left his cows to drink, and went to sit before the sadhu. After a long time, the sadhu opened his eyes and looked at Deenu. Then Deenu touched the sadhu’s feet, and asked, “Please tell me, what is the path to truth?”

The sadhu gazed steadily at Deenu, and then said, “In this pool there is a fish who will answer your question. Ask the fish.”

Deenu went to the edge of the pool, and saw a fish swimming there. Greeting the fish, he said, “Please tell me, what is the path to truth?”

The fish swam in a circle three times, and then said, “I will answer your question, but first you must bring me some water to drink.”

“Some water to drink?” said Deenu, puzzled. “But you live in water. How can I possibly bring you what you have already?”

“Just so,” said the fish. “And so it is that you live in truth. What path could take you to that in which you live?”