Story of the man who sowed roasted seed.[2]
There was a certain villager who was a cultivator, and very nearly an idiot. He one day roasted some sesame-seeds, and, finding them nice to eat, he sowed a large number of roasted seeds, hoping that similar ones would come up. When they did not come up, on account of their having been roasted, he found that he had lost his substance, and people laughed at him.
“I have spoken of the sesame-cultivator, now hear about the man who threw fire into water.”
Story of the fool who mixed fire and water.[3]
There was a silly man, who, one night, having to perform a sacrifice next day, thus reflected:—“I require water and fire, for bathing, burning incense, and other purposes; so I will put them together, that I may quickly obtain them when I want them.” Thus reflecting, he threw the fire into the pitcher of water, and then went to bed. And in the morning, when he came to look, the fire was extinct, and the water was spoiled. And when he saw the water blackened with charcoal, his face was blackened also, and the faces of the amused people were wreathed in smiles.
“You have heard the story of the man who was famous on account of the pitcher of fire, now hear the story of the nose-engrafter.”
Story of the man who tried to improve his wife’s nose.
There lived in some place or other a foolish man of bewildered intellect. He, seeing that his wife was flat-nosed, and that his spiritual instructor was high-nosed,[4] cut off the nose of the latter when he was asleep: and then he went and cut off his wife’s nose, and stuck the nose of his spiritual instructor on her face, but it would not grow there. Thus he deprived both his wife and his spiritual guide of their noses.