Once upon a time, there was a sculptor named Pattar. He was extremely talented and skilled in sculpting beautiful life size images of kings, queens, celebrities, politicians and other famous personalities. His work was so well endowed that people found it tough to distinguish between the real person and the sculpture.
Pattar’s name and fame spread far and wide. People made a beeline to his shop to get their sculptures done. Slowly, but surely, Pattar too was moved by all this admiration and praise by his customers. His pride swelled. He felt that there cannot be another person more superior in sculpting than him. He thought he could fool anybody using the magic of his hands.
As he grew old, he knew of his imminent death. However, he though of cheating death too using his art. He created 9 life size statues of himself. On the day he got indications that his end was near, he placed himself in between the statues. When Yama, the God of Death’s assistant walked in with the noose to take away Pattar’s soul, he was bewildered. Try, as hard as he could, he was not able to differentiate one figure from the other. Confused and crestfallen, he returned to Yama and narrated his experience.
Angry Yama decided to pay Pattar a visit himself. Climbing his escort, the buffalo, Lord Yama reached the house of Pattar. He too was flummoxed at the sight. So identical were the statues that he could not tell the difference. Thinking hard, Yama chanced upon a plan. He inspected one of the statues closely and attentively and said aloud, “I think one of these statues has a blemish ! They appear perfect but cannot fool me.” Pattar heard this and his pride was hurt. Never the one to hear a word of scorn when it came to his sculpting abilities, Pattar stepped forward and uttered, “Which one, O Lord?” Immediately, Yama swung the noose on his neck and pointing his finger at Pattar said, “This one…The blemish was the excessive pride you carried in your heart! Pride always leads to a fall”.
