One day, a man went to a bank to withdraw money. He filled out a form for ₹1,40,000 and gave it to the cashier. The cashier counted the money and handed it to him.
The man took the money and put it in his bag without counting it. But he had already noticed that the cashier had made a mistake. Instead of ₹1,40,000, he had received ₹1,60,000.
He walked away quietly, pretending he didn’t notice anything. Soon, he started feeling uncomfortable. He thought, “Should I return the extra ₹20,000?” But another thought came, “When I make mistakes, no one returns my money.”
His mind and heart kept arguing. One moment he wanted to return the money, the next moment he wanted to keep it. But deep inside, his conscience told him, “Is it right to take advantage of someone’s mistake?”
He felt more and more restless. Finally, he took ₹20,000 out of his bag, put it in his pocket, and decided to go back to the bank.
As he walked back, he felt lighter and happier, like a big burden had been lifted. When he reached the bank, he returned the money to the cashier.
The cashier felt very relieved. He offered him ₹1,000 as a reward and said, “Thank you. Please buy sweets for your children.”
The man smiled and said, “No, thank you. I am the one who is grateful.”
The cashier asked, “Why?”
The man replied, “Your mistake gave me a chance to test myself. Today, I learned to control my greed. That is my biggest reward. There is no greater reward than honesty.”