The Test of Honesty

Mukund went to the grocery store to buy a few items. Upon arrival, he found a crowd of customers, so he patiently waited for them to clear out. Once the store was less busy, he handed the grocer a list of the items he needed.

The grocer weighed the items and handed them over to Mukund, who was informed that his total came to seventy-five rupees. Mukund handed over a currency note, and the grocer returned the surplus change.

Counting the smaller notes, Mukund realized that the grocer had given him thirty-five rupees instead of the intended twenty-five. “My brother! You have paid me ten rupees more! You should be more careful with your money!” Mukund said with a smile as he returned the extra note.

“Thank you, my brother. The same advice goes to you—be more careful with your money. Instead of giving me one currency note, you gave me two, and they were stuck together!” the grocer explained. “I deliberately gave you ten extra rupees,” he added.

Surprised, Mukund asked, “I see! Then why did you only give me ten rupees more?”

“I wanted to test your honesty,” replied the grocer. “If you had kept the ten rupees for yourself, I would not have returned your hundred-rupee note. I would have donated it to a charitable institution. But since you were honest, here is your hundred-rupee note!” the grocer concluded, returning the note to Mukund.