Everyone respected the eminent sage, Dev Sharma, in their village temple. His devotees gave him all kinds of gifts, which he sold for money. He trusted no one and always kept his money in a pouch near him. A thief was after this pouch but couldn’t do anything as the sage never left the pouch alone. He decided to disguise himself as a student. The sage agreed to teach him, and the thief started to live in the temple. The thief did all the chores and became closer to the sage. One day he and his disciple were invited to perform a ritual in a nearby village. On the way there, he saw a river. He wished to bathe in the river. He wrapped the pouch in a blanket and laid it on the banks of the river. He asked his disciple to guard it while he bathed. This was the opportunity the thief was waiting for. As the sage stepped into the river, he took the pouch and ran away.