There was a certain Brahman in a village, named Harisarman. He was poor and foolish and in deep trouble for want of employment, and he had very many children, so that he might reap the fruit of his sins in a former life. He wandered about begging with his family, and at last, he reached a certain city and entered the service of a rich householder called Sthuladatta. His sons became keepers of Sthuladatta's cows and other property, and his wife a servant to him. He himself lived near his mansion, performing the duty of an attendant. One day there was a feast on account of the marriage of the daughter of Sthuladatta, largely attended by many friends of the bridegroom, and merry-makers. Harisarman hoped that he would be able to fill himself up to the throat with ghee and flesh and other dainties and get the same for his family in the house of his patron. While he was anxiously expecting to be fed, no one thought of him.

Then he was distressed at getting nothing to eat. He said to his wife at night, "It is owing to my poverty and stupidity that I am treated with such disrespect here. So I will pretend by means of artifice to possess a knowledge of magic, so that I may become an object of respect to this Sthuladatta. When you get an opportunity, tell him that I possess magical knowledge." He said this to her, and after turning the matter over in his mind, while people were asleep, he took away from the house of Sthuladatta a horse on which his master's son-in-law rode. He hid it at some distance, and in the morning, the friends of the bridegroom could not find the horse, though they searched in every direction. Then, while Sthuladatta was distressed at the evil omen and searching for the thieves who had carried off the horse, the wife of Harisarman came and said to him: "My husband is a wise man, skilled in astrology and magical sciences. He can get the horseback for you; why do you not ask him?"

When Sthuladatta heard that, he called Harisarman who said, "Yesterday I was forgotten, but today, now the horse is stolen, I am called to mind." Sthuladatta then placated the Brahman with these words—"I forgot you, forgive me"—and asked him to tell him who had taken away their horse. Then Harisarman drew all kinds of pretended diagrams and said: "The horse has been placed by thieves on the boundary line south from this place. It is concealed there, and before it is carried off to a distance, as it will be at the close of the day, go quickly and bring it." When they heard that, many men ran and brought the horse quickly, praising the discernment of Harisarman. Then Harisarman was honoured by all men as a sage and dwelt there in happiness, honoured by Sthuladatta.

Now, a few days later, much treasure, both gold, and jewels, was stolen by a thief from the palace of the king. As the thief was not known, the king quickly summoned Harisarman on account of his reputation for knowledge of magic. And he, when summoned, tried to gain time and said, "I will tell you tomorrow," and then he was placed in a chamber by the king and carefully guarded. Harisarman was sad because he had pretended to have knowledge. Now in that palace, there was a maid named Jihva (which means Tongue), who, with the assistance of her brother, had stolen the treasure from the interior of the palace. She, being alarmed at Harisarman's knowledge, went at night and applied her ear to the door of that chamber in order to find out what he was about. And Harisarman, who was alone inside, was at that very moment blaming his own tongue, that had made a vain assumption of knowledge. He said: "O Tongue, what is this that you have done through your greediness? Wicked one, you will soon receive punishment in full." When Jihva heard this, she thought, in her terror, that she had been discovered by this wise man. She managed to get in where he was, and falling at his feet, she said to the supposed wizard: "Brahman, here I am, that Jihva whom you have discovered to be the thief of the treasure. After I took it, I buried it in the earth in a garden behind the palace, under a pomegranate tree. So, spare me, and receive the small quantity of gold which is in my possession."

When Harisarman heard that, he said to her proudly: "Depart, I know all this. I know the past, present, and future; but I will not denounce you, being a miserable creature that has implored my protection. But whatever gold is in your possession you must give back to me." When he said this to the maid, she consented and departed quickly. But Harisarman reflected in his astonishment: "Fate brings about, as if in sport, things impossible, for when disaster was so near, who would have thought the chance would have saved me? While I was blaming my jihva, the thief Jihva suddenly flung herself at my feet. Secret crimes manifest themselves by means of fear." Thus thinking, he passed the night happily in the chamber. In the morning, he brought the king, by some skillful parade of pretended knowledge, into the garden, and led him up to the treasure, which was buried under the pomegranate tree, and said that the thief had escaped with a part of it. Then the king was pleased and gave him the revenue of many villages.

But the minister, named Devajnanin, whispered in the king's ear: "How can a man possess such knowledge unattainable by men, without having studied the books of magic? You may be certain that this is just a glimpse of the way he makes a dishonest livelihood. He must have a secret alliance with thieves. It will be much better to test him by some new trial." Then the king of his own accord brought a covered pitcher into which he had thrown a frog, and said to Harisarman, "Brahman, if you can guess what there is in this pitcher, I will do you great honour today." When the Brahman Harisarman heard that, he thought that his last hour had come. By a strange twist of luck, he remembered the pet name of "Froggie", which his father had given him in his childhood in sport. He called to himself by his pet name, lamenting his hard fate: "This is a fine pitcher for you, Froggie! It will soon become the swift destroyer of your helpless self." The people there, when they heard him say that, raised a shout of applause because his speech chimed in so well with the object presented to him and murmured, "Ah! A great sage, he knows even about the frog!" Then the king, thinking that this was all due to divine knowledge, was highly delighted and gave Harisarman the revenue of more villages, with gold, an umbrella, and state carriages of all kinds. So Harisarman prospered in the world.