A saint was taking bath in a river. His eyes fell on a scorpion . It was struggling for its life in the flowing water.
He picked up the creature in his hands to save it from drowning . As he took the creature in his hands, it stung him on his hand.
Overcome by the pain of the sting, the saint let the scorpion fall from his hands in to the water. As soon as he let the scorpion down, it again started struggling for survival.
Unable to see a fellow creature suffer the saint picked the scorpion with his hands once more . It stung him again. He was forced to let go of it because of the pain.The scorpion dropped back into the water.
This act of the scorpion struggling for life and the saint picking it up went on for three or four times. Every time the scorpion stung the saint he dropped it into the river.
One of the men on the bank of the river was watching this drama. He called out to the saint and said, "Why don't you give up the futile attempt of saving the life of a cruel creature? It has stung you so many times. Why don't you just let it die?"
The saint smiled and said , " Every one gives only what one has. The scorpion has stung me again and again though I am trying to save its life. If it cannot give up its nature then how can I give up mine."
