The story revolves around the great poet Bhāravi, who, despite his talent and early fame, struggles with his father's lack of praise, leading him to contemplate violence against his father. However, after overhearing a conversation where his mother defends him, Bhāravi realizes the wisdom behind his father's teachings, which aim to prevent arrogance and foster genuine growth. As punishment for his rebellious thoughts, his father assigns him the task of tending goats for twelve years. During this time, Bhāravi composes a stanza of poetry, which he sells for a large sum to a merchant.

Years later, when the merchant returns home after two decades, he is enraged to find a young man beside his wife, mistakenly thinking the worst. However, the merchant's eye catches the inscription on the palm leaf, urging caution and reflection before acting in haste. This prompts him to question his wife, discovering that the young man is their son. The merchant realizes the gravity of nearly committing a terrible act based on a misunderstanding, ultimately recognizing the true value of the wisdom conveyed through Bhāravi's poetry. The story highlights themes of wisdom, humility, and the consequences of rash actions.

महाकवि भारवि बाल्यकाल से ही सुन्नर काव्य रचे लगलन हल, जेकर चारों ओर धूम मचल हल। बाकि महाकवि भारवि के बाबू जी, जे अपने भारी पंडित हलन, आउ कविताई भी करऽ हलन, ऊ अप्पन पूत के कभियो बड़ाई न करऽ हलन। एह बात से महाकवि भारवि के मन बड़ी उदास रहऽ हल। अन्त में अप्पन बाबू जी पर एतना खीझ गेलन कि उनकर हत्या के विचार कयलन।

बाहर के खूँटी पर एगो चोख तलवार टंगल हल। ऊ ओकरा उतार लेलन। अधरतिया होवे जा रहल हल। अन्हेरिया पच्छ के अन्हकार छायल हल। चारों ओर सन्नाटा पसरल हल। सामने कोठरी के अन्दर उनकर माय, आउर बाबू जी बतिया रहलन हल। महाकवि के माय कह रहलथिन हल कि ''अपने के बेटा के तन-मन ठिरुआयल जा रहल हे। ओकर कविताई के दुनिया भर में बड़ाई होवऽ हे, बाकि अपने हरमेसा दुत्कारवे करऽ ही ।'' ई सुन के महाकवि बाबू हँस पड़लथिन और कहलकथिन कि ''दुत पगली! हम तऽ जानवे करऽ ही कि हम्मर बेटा सबसे बढ़िया कविताई करऽ हे। बाकि ओकर परसंसा एह वास्ते हम न करऽ ही कि परसंसा से ओकर मन में गर्व औ' गुमान उपजत, आउर ओकर विकास ठुरिया जायत!''

बाबू जी के बात सुन के महाकवि भारवि के मन ग्लानि से भर गेल। ऊ सोचलन कि हम्मर बाबू जी केतना महान् हथ। ऊ का सोच हथन, आउ हम का सोच रहली हे। से ऊ अप्पन बाबू जी के चरन पर गिर पड़लन। ऊ अप्पन मन में चल रहल विचार के अंधड़ से उनका परिचय करौलन, आउ अप्पन मन में करल गेल पाप के प्रायश्चित करे ला दंड मांगलन। महाकवि के बाबू जी उनका छमा दे देलन, बाकि ऊ न मानलन आउर अप्पन पाप के दंड देवे के बात पर ऊ अड़ल रहलन। तऽ उनकर बाबू जी उनका बारह बरीस तक बकरी चरावे के दंड देलन। ऊ बकरी चरावे ला निकल गेलन।

बाकि बकरी चरावइत उनकरा जिनगी काटना भारी मोसकिल भे गेल। से ऊ ताड़ के पत्ता पर अप्पन एगो कविता के श्‍लोक लिखलन आउ एगो सेठ जी के पास जाके ओकरा बेच देवे के विचार कयलन। सेठ जी बात के दाम पूछलक त ऊ ओकर दाम एक लाख टका बतौलन। सेठ जी उनका एक लाख टका दे देलन, आउ अप्पन सोवे के कमरा में सिरहाने टाँग देलन।

सेठ जी के अउरत के पैर भारी हल। व्यापार के सिलसिला में ओही घरी सेठ जी परदेस जाय के विचार कयलन, आउर अप्पन मुंसी जी के अप्पन घर के सब रोजगार आउर हिसाब-किताब सौंप के ऊ परदेस चल गेलन। सेठ जी परदेस में बीस साल रह गेलन। बीस साल बाद जब ऊ खूब धन-दौलत कमा के आउ अप्पन नाव पर सामान लाद के अप्पन देस अयलन, तऽ उत्कंठा में भरल अप्पन घर में पहुँचलन। ऊ घरी उनकर घरओली सूतल हल। उहाँ ऊ देखऽ हथ कि उनकर मेहरारू के बगल में एगो जवान मरद सूतल हे। ई देख के उनकर तरवा के लहर कपार चढ़ गेल, आउ ऊ ओकरे मारे ला सिरहाने टँगल तलवार उतारे चललन। तभिये उनकर नजर सिरहाने टँगल ताड़ के पत्ता पर लिखल महाकवि के लाख टका के बात पर पड़ गेल कि- ''जल्दीबाजी में कउनो काम करे के न चाहीं, न तो बाद में बड़ी पछतावे के पड़े हे!''

ऊ बात पढ़ के सेठ जी रुक गेलन, अप्पन मेहरारू के जगौलन, फिनो पूछलन कि उनकर बगल में लेटल जवान मरद कउन हे? तऽ ऊ बतौलन कि ''ऊ उनकरे बेटा हे। जब ऊ धन-दौलत कमावे ला परदेस जा रहलन हल, तऽ उनकर पैर भारी हल। उनकरा पीछे में ओही बेटा भेल। अब ओही सब रोजगार-पाती सम्हारल करऽ हे!'’ सुन के सेठ जी एक तुरी कॉप गेलन, आज्झ केतना बड़ा अनर्थ हो जायत हल। उनका बिसवास हो गेल कि सचमुच जे बात कभी ऊ खरीदलन हल, ऊ सच्चो लाख टका के बात हे!

See translation

The great poet Bhāravi began composing beautiful poetry from his childhood, which created a stir all around. However, Bhāravi's father, who was a learned scholar and also composed poetry, never praised his son. This made Bhāravi quite sad. In the end, he became so enraged with his father that he contemplated murder.

On the outer hook hung a fine sword. He took it down. It was getting late in the evening. The darkness had spread across the horizon. Silence engulfed everything. Inside the room, his mother and father were engaged in conversation. Bhāravi's mother was saying, "Your son is becoming known all over the world for his poetry, but you always scorn him." Hearing this, Bhāravi smiled and said, "Foolish woman! I know my son is the best poet, but I do not praise him, for praise would lead to pride and arrogance in him, and his development would come to a standstill!"

Upon hearing his father's words, Bhāravi was filled with shame. He thought about how great his father was. What was he thinking, and what was his father thinking? Thus, he fell at his father's feet. He introduced his father to the storm of thoughts running through his mind and begged for a punishment to atone for his sins. Bhāravi's father forgave him; however, he did not agree and insisted on facing the punishment for his sin. So, his father assigned him the punishment of tending goats for twelve years. He went out to tend the goats.

But tending the goats became a very difficult task for him. So, he wrote a stanza of poetry on a palm leaf and thought of selling it to a merchant. When the merchant asked for the price, he quoted one lakh (100,000) rupees. The merchant gave him one lakh rupees and hung it by his bed in his sleeping chamber.

The merchant's wife was feeling heavy. In the course of business, the merchant decided to go abroad and entrusted all his household duties and accounts to his clerk before he left for foreign lands. The merchant stayed abroad for twenty years. After twenty years, when he returned home with a lot of wealth, loaded goods on his boat, and reached his home eagerly, he found his wife asleep. There, he saw a young man sleeping beside her. Seeing this, rage surged within him, and he took down the sword that hung by his bed to kill him. Just then, he noticed the inscription on the palm leaf that said, "One should never act in haste; otherwise, one may regret it later!"

Reading that line, the merchant stopped, woke his wife, and then asked her who the young man beside her was. She replied, "He is our son. When you went abroad to earn wealth, he was born. Now he takes care of all the household duties!" Upon hearing this, the merchant felt a pang of realization, thinking about how great a disaster could have transpired. He became convinced that the truth behind what he had once purchased was indeed worth a lakh rupees!