owner said, ‘This snake has deadly poison. Everyone it bit has died immediately. I fear it may bite any of my family members now.’ Many days passed in the same condition, thinking what to do about the snake. Blinded by the greed of wealth, he once again satisfied his family members by saying that ‘though we are suffering loss due to the snake, but yet we are also gaining golden eggs. Therefore, we shall not worry too much.’ After some days, the snake bit his son. An antidote was instantly made available but it was of no use and his son lost his life. Extremely furious at the snake and grief-stricken by the death of their young son, the husband and wife said, ‘Now there is no goodness in this snake. It is better that this poisonous snake be killed without any further delay.’

The snake heard what they said so it disappeared for a few days. Hence, they were also deprived of the golden eggs. After a long period of time, the greedy people felt anxious due to not gaining the golden eggs anymore. Therefore, the greedy husband and wife came to the hole of the snake and smoked it out. It was as if they had given it a message of reconciliation. Astonishingly, the snake returned and started producing golden eggs once again. Blinded by the greed of wealth, they even forgot the death of their servant and son. One day, the snake bit his wife while she was asleep. She shouted, so her husband immediately attempted to treat the snakebite with an antidote but she lost her life within a short while, writhing in pain. The greedy person was now left alone. So he told his brothers and friends the whole story about the snake. All of them suggested, ‘You have made a very big mistake. You still have a chance. Take a lesson from it and kill the snake as soon as possible.’ Therefore, reaching home, he waited in ambush to kill the snake. All of a sudden, he saw a precious pearl near the hole of the snake. Seeing it, the greedy person became happy. Greed for wealth made him forget everything. He said, ‘Time changes ones nature. Certainly the nature of the snake must also have changed, as it has started producing pearls instead of golden eggs, similarly, it would have also lost its poison. Therefore, I am not in danger of being bitten by it.’ Thinking so, he gave up the idea of killing the snake. The greedy person was extremely happy to get a precious pearl every day, forgetting the previous deaths caused by the snake.