10.5 - 3...2...1... Gift-off!

Summary

In this holiday special podcast, host Narad Money narrates a whimsical tale of Wad, a generous, poor grass cutter from the Indian subcontinent. Wad's life takes a turn when he exchanges gifts with a princess and a prince, leading to a series of escalating presents. With the help of fairies, Wad temporarily enjoys wealth and royalty, but ultimately returns to his simple life, content with his humble existence. The story humorously explores themes of honesty, generosity, and the true value of happiness.

Takeaways

• 🎵 The podcast is a holiday special and not the usual Sunday episode.
• 🎭 The host, Narad Money, is a mythological character and a traveling musician and storyteller.
• 👴 The story features an old man named Wad, a poor grass cutter in the Indian subcontinent.
• 🌾 Wad's profession involved cutting grass, bundling it, and selling it to horse owners.
• 💼 Wad lived frugally, saving one PES a day for 50 years without any real use for the savings.
• 💎 After amassing a large sum, Wad exchanged his savings for a beautiful gold bracelet from a jeweler.
• 🛍 Wad sought to find a worthy owner for the bracelet and ended up giving it to a merchant to deliver to a virtuous lady.
• 🏰 The merchant delivered the bracelet to the princess of Kistan, who misinterpreted Wad's generosity as wealth.
• 🔄 A series of extravagant gifts were exchanged between Wad, the princess, and the prince of Nekad, facilitated by the merchant.
• 🧝‍♂️ Wad met fairies who, to help with their magic dust inventory, transformed him temporarily into a rich man.
• 🏰👸 The prince and princess eventually met and formed a couple, while Wad returned to his simple life, happy in his tattered clothes and mud hut.
• 🤔 The story highlights the theme of honesty and the unrealistic nature of the situation, pointing out the fictional elements.

Q & A

Who is the host of the podcast and what is their profession?

The host of the podcast is Narad Money, a mythological character who is a traveling musician and a storyteller by profession.

What is the main profession of the character Wad in the story?

Wad's main profession is a grass cutter, who cuts grass, makes it into bundles, and sells it to people who have horses.

How much did Wad save each day from his earnings?

Wad saved 1 PES (5 cents) every day from his earnings of 5 PES, after spending 4 PES on food and clothing.

What did Wad do with the money he had saved over 50 years?

Wad took all his saved money to a jeweler and exchanged it for a beautiful gold bracelet encrusted with precious stones.

Why did Wad choose to give the bracelet to the princess of Kistan?

Wad chose to give the bracelet to the princess of Kistan because a merchant, known to have traveled the world, identified her as the most virtuous lady he knew.

What was the merchant's reaction when Wad asked him to deliver the bracelet to the princess?

The merchant agreed to deliver the bracelet to the princess without charging Wad any fees, as he was a first-time customer.

What did the princess of Kistan send back to Wad as a gift in return for the bracelet?

The princess sent back a camel laden with the finest silks in the land as a gift in return for the bracelet.

Why did Wad continue to exchange gifts with the princess and the prince, even though he didn't need them?

Wad continued to exchange gifts because he didn't have a use for the wealth he received and was simply acting as a broker, channeling gifts between the prince and the princess.

What did the fairies offer to help Wad with his predicament?

The fairies offered to perform magic to help Wad, changing his clothes into rich ones and transforming his mud hut into a palace, but the magic would wear off in a week.

How did Wad's situation change after the magic wore off?

After the magic wore off, Wad was back in his tattered clothes and in his mud hut, which made him happier because he preferred his simple life.

What is the moral or theme of the story according to the host's commentary?

The story's theme is about honesty and the unrealistic nature of the situation, as everyone is assumed to be incredibly honest, which is unlikely in real life. It also touches on the idea of being content with what one has.

Outlines

00:00

🎄 The Generous Grass Cutter's Tale

In this holiday special, the host, Narad Money, introduces a story of a poor but generous grass cutter named Wad from the Indian subcontinent. Wad, who has saved a small fortune over 50 years, decides to exchange his savings for a beautiful gold bracelet from an honest jeweler. Instead of keeping it, he seeks to find a worthy owner for the bracelet and enlists the help of a merchant named Sate to deliver it to the most virtuous lady he knows, the princess of Kistan. The story sets off a chain of events involving gifts and virtue.

05:02

🔄 The Unending Gift Exchange

The story unfolds as the princess of Kistan, impressed by the bracelet, assumes Wad to be wealthy and sends back lavish gifts. This initiates a cycle of gift exchanges between Wad and the princess, with the merchant Sate acting as the go-between. As the gifts escalate in value, Sate becomes increasingly burdened by the logistics and cost of transporting these riches. The situation becomes unsustainable, leading to a turning point in the narrative.

10:04

🧞‍♂️ The Fairy's Magic Solution

Faced with the impending arrival of the princess, who mistakenly believes Wad seeks to marry her, Wad plans to end his life. However, he encounters fairies who, having an excess of magic dust, offer to help him with their magic, which will wear off in a week. Wad's transformation into a rich man with a palace impresses the princess, but it's clear there's no romantic interest between them. A feast brings the prince and princess together, leading to a mutual attraction, while Wad struggles with his new lifestyle and longs for his simple life of grass cutting.

Keywords

💡Narad Money

Narad Money is the host of the podcast and a mythological character. The name is significant as it sets the tone for the storytelling nature of the video. In Hindu mythology, Narada is known as a divine sage and a traveling musician, which aligns with the host's role as a storyteller. The script refers to him as 'your host narad money' and describes him as 'a traveling musician and a storyteller by profession'.

💡Generosity

Generosity is a central theme in the video, symbolized by the character of the old man, Wad, who gives away gifts without expecting anything in return. The script illustrates this through the story of Wad, who is 'very generous' and 'gives out gifts.' His actions of giving away his savings to buy a gold bracelet for the princess of Kistan exemplify the concept of selfless giving.

💡Grass Cutter

A grass cutter is a profession mentioned in the script, describing the main character Wad's occupation. It is self-descriptive, involving cutting grass, bundling it, and selling it, primarily to those with horses. The script uses this term to establish Wad's humble background and to contrast his simple life with the wealth he eventually encounters, as he 'cut grass every day and sold it to pretty much anyone who had a horse.'

💡Inflation

Inflation is referenced in the context of Wad's stable income over 50 years, where it is noted that 'inflation wasn't much to speak of.' This term is relevant as it provides a backdrop for understanding the economic stability that allows Wad to save money consistently over a long period without significant changes to his income or expenses.

💡Piggy Bank

The piggy bank is a metaphor used in the script to describe Wad's method of saving money. It symbolizes simplicity and the character's lack of material desires, as he 'saved off the last one' of his daily earnings without any specific purpose, simply because 'he had no use for it.' The piggy bank is a tangible representation of Wad's frugality and eventual accumulation of wealth.

💡Jeweler

The jeweler is a character in the script who interacts with Wad by exchanging his life savings for a gold bracelet. This term is important as it represents the first step in Wad's journey of gift-giving and the transformation of his savings into something of perceived value to others. The jeweler is described as 'an honest man' who would not 'take the money without giving Wad something in return.'

💡Merchant

The merchant, referred to as 'Sate,' is a key character who facilitates the exchange of gifts between Wad, the princess of Kistan, and the prince of Nekad. The term 'merchant' is significant as it represents the role of a middleman in the story, highlighting the theme of gift exchange and the escalating value of gifts. The merchant's actions and reactions provide insight into the dynamics of wealth and virtue in the narrative.

💡Princess of Kistan

The princess of Kistan is a character who receives the gold bracelet from Wad and initiates the cycle of gift exchange. The term is important as it represents the recipient of Wad's generosity and sets off a chain of events that lead to the escalation of gift values. Her response to the gift, thinking that Wad must be 'ridiculously Rich,' leads to her sending back a camel laden with fine silks, thus escalating the narrative.

💡Virtue

Virtue is a concept that runs through the script, particularly in relation to the characters of the princess and the prince, who are described as the most virtuous. The term is used to describe moral excellence and is a criterion for Wad when he asks the merchant, 'who is the most virtuous lady you know?' The virtue of the characters is contrasted with the escalating materialism of the gifts they exchange.

💡Magic

Magic is introduced in the script as a means to resolve Wad's predicament with the impending arrival of the princess. The term is significant as it represents a sudden and unexpected change in Wad's circumstances, transforming his life from one of simplicity to opulence within a week. The magic is described as a solution provided by fairies who have 'an inventory problem on our magic' and decide to help Wad 'just this once.'

💡Fairy

Fairies are mythical creatures that appear in the script to offer Wad a magical solution to his problem. The term is important as it introduces an element of fantasy and the supernatural into the narrative. The fairies' intervention is a turning point in the story, providing Wad with a temporary transformation that ultimately leads to a resolution of the conflicts in the story.

Highlights

Introduction of the podcast host, Narad Money, as a mythological character and a traveling musician and storyteller.

The story of a poor old grass cutter named Wad, who saves a penny a day for 50 years, reflecting on the simplicity and contentment of his life.

Wad's discovery of his savings after 50 years and his decision to use the money to buy a gold bracelet from an honest jeweler.

The encounter with a merchant named Sate, who agrees to deliver the bracelet to the most virtuous lady he knows without any fees.

The princess of Kistan receives the bracelet and assumes Wad to be rich, leading to a series of gift exchanges between her and the prince of Nekad.

The merchant's dilemma as he gets increasingly involved in the gift exchanges, highlighting the unsustainable nature of the situation.

Wad's fear of being executed when the princess decides to meet him, showcasing the consequences of the misunderstanding.

Wad's meeting with fairies who offer to help him with their magic, providing a twist in the story.

The transformation of Wad's appearance and his hut into a palace due to the fairies' magic, altering his life drastically.

The prince and princess's meeting and mutual attraction, facilitated by Wad's temporary wealth and status.

The temporary nature of the magic and Wad's return to his original life, emphasizing the theme of contentment with one's circumstances.

The unrealistic honesty portrayed in the story, questioning the plausibility of such a narrative in real life.

Wad's decision to continue gifting despite the deception, reflecting on the moral implications of his actions.

The resolution of the story with Wad happily returning to his simple life, suggesting the value of simplicity and honesty.

The podcast's closing remarks, thanking listeners for their support and feedback, and wishing them happy holidays.

The mention of the music source from Purple Planet, providing credit to the creators.

Transcripts

[Music]

hi I know we usually meet on Sundays but

I thought I would do a holiday special

in case this is your first episode I'm

your host narad money and I'm a

mythological character

myself I'm a traveling musician and a

Storyteller by profession so the way I

do my job is by podcast given the season

I have a story for you about an old man

with a white beard who is very generous

and gives out

gifts I'm not talking about the

gentleman who lives at the North Pole

but rather about a poor old grass cutter

in the Indian subcontinent a few

centuries

ago the grass cutting profession is

self-descriptive but you don't just cut

grass you make make it into a bundle and

then sell it wad cut grass every day and

sold it to pretty much Anyone Who Had a

Horse because these horses preferred

grass to

oats each day for 50 years wad cut and

then sold a bundle of grass for 5 PES or

5

cents inflation wasn't much to speak of

and no taxes were

necessary wad spent exactly 4 PES every

day on food and clothing and saved off

the last one it's not that he wanted to

save it it's just that he had no use for

it so he dropped it in his own personal

piggy bank which was in his Hut he had

no incidental expenses and didn't take

any vacations or donate to any

charity this was mainly because the

tourism industry didn't

exist and wad was poor enough himself

that it didn't even occur to anyone to

solicit a charitable contribution from

him after 50 years of saving up a PESA

each day wad finally decided to check

how much he

had and was surprised to discover that

he had a pretty big pile to most people

this would have been a pleasant

surprise not to

wad he had no use for this extra money I

mean anyone else would have considered

retiring or maybe upgrading from his

simple mud hut or tattered clothes or

even just getting a better

side but not

wad he didn't care for a tuxedo or a

shopping spree at Home Depot instead he

took all his money into the

Jeweler the Jeweler an honest man would

not take the money with without giving

wad something in

return all right if it's all the same to

you I will take something said

vitad he picked up a beautiful bracelet

of gold encrusted with several precious

stones he had no use for the bracelet

either it couldn't cut grass and he

couldn't eat it or wear it but it was a

really pretty

bracelet and valad resolved to find the

right owner for it

as luck would have it he ran into a

merchant who was known to have traveled

the

world and no this Merchant's name was

not sbat the Sailor let's call him

satate which literally means

Merchant say wad addressed him tell me

in your travels who is the most virtuous

lady you know

of definitely the princess of kistan

and Florence Nightingale was s's

reply and who's closer asked

wad the princess said the

merchant next time you're in her

territory would you please give her this

bracet as a gift from me asked

vad despite seeing validas tattered

clothing and how by contrast the

bracelet was definitely expensive Sate

didn't call the police

without a doubt said the merchant I'm

going there right now and what's more

since you are a firsttime customer of

mine I won't even charge you any fees

this time now tell me are you asking me

to transport any weapons Firearms or

explosives no it's a bracelet said

vad I still have to ask or I'll lose my

license said the merchant does it have

lithium ion battery iies any combustible

substances no of course not said

vad a bracelet doesn't have

batteries the merchant ignored him and

continued did you pack your package

yourself did someone give you something

to transport on their

behalf no said wad I own everything and

I didn't even pack it I'm giving you

this bracelet without any packaging on

it all right said the merchant just sign

the customs decare ation form here and

Here sign here to acknowledge that in no

circumstances will you hold me liable

for damages or

delays W did sign it and the merchant

took the bracelet he went dashing

through the sand in a one camel open

card and after a few days presented the

bracelet to the princess of kistan as a

gift from the noble

wad the princess was impressed the

bracelet was stunning and Suited her

perfectly she decided on the basis of

absolutely nothing that someone who

chooses to send such a lavish gift to a

complete stranger must be ridiculously

Rich she thought I must send back

something so that he doesn't really

think any less of

kistan in the first place it might seem

wrong for a princess to accept gifts

from complete strangers I mean there's

got to be an emol men's clause in there

somewhere oh wait this is the era where

the monarchy had absolute

decision-making Powers over everything

and their word trumped all laws so

basically accepting such gifts was quite

okay she sent back a camel Laden with

the finest silks in the

land the merchant was happy to take that

back to

wad written gifts weren't unusual in the

Merchant's business in fact in fact on

the last trip in exchange for a toy the

return gift had been some delicious

cookies and some

milk what was different here was that

the return gift seemed much more

valuable than the original

gift in a few days when the merchant

presented the camel with the fine silks

to wad wad was shocked he had not

expected to receive more than what he

started off

with the merchant would bail him out

though wad asked him to take the camel

and the silks to the most virtuous

gentleman he knew of of course said the

merchant that would be the prince of

nekad wad said fine to the prince of

nekbat then and you can keep some of the

silks for yourself for transportation

costs camel maintenance insurance and

all

that this was a bad move for wad the

prince had an identical reaction to the

princess of

kistan he sent back lavish gifts too

gold and silver on

horses now at this point if you were

bidad you should quit giving out gifts

to people who don't need them and

instead maybe gift the poor and the

needy and if valida really wanted to put

a stop to this he could have

by simply accepting one of the gifts and

not sending it

on but

no he hadn't learned his

lesson on went some of the horses with

gold and silver back to the princess of

kistan and her subsequent gifts were

routed to the prince

again while wad was just acting as a

broker channeling gifts from the prince

to the princess and back

The Prince and the princess had

developed grandio Notions of the noble

wad the merchant was starting to get a

bit Fed

Up sure he was earning more than he ever

had just by keeping the fraction that

wad gave him but this wasn't sustainable

he wasn't equipped to transport such

riches he would have to upgrade his

Fleet of camels he'd need to hire armed

guards and probably be taxed in a higher

bracket come

April he resolved that this would be his

last trip for

bidad but after the most recent round of

gifts the princess concluded again based

on absolutely nothing at all that vad

was seeking to marry

her so she decided to accompany the

merchant back herself to meet this

generous man the merchant knew he was in

a world of trouble now but still far too

afraid to admit it he sneaked ahead to

warn

wad wad despaired at the situation and

concluded that he would be blamed and

therefore executed when the princess got

here he did the only thing he could

think

of he went up into the hills to find a

quiet nice cliff to jump off

of on the way he met a couple of

fairies where you go going they asked

him he told them his whole

story but now he was in a bit of

luck listen Max said one of the

fairies we have an inventory problem on

our magic just this week the magic dust

Factory operated by this Nigerian prince

sent us more dust than we can use we

want to perform some magic without

causing too much trouble and we could

help you out just this once

okay what bank details do you need asked

valad nothing we don't need Bank details

it's really for free just don't go

thinking you can get anything more no

more

freebies oh and the magic wears off in a

week so get your problem solved by then

fairies disappeared and then wad was

surprised to discover that his clothes

had magically changed into very rich

ones he rushed back home to discover his

mud hut was now a

palace Overjoyed he had the merchant

send a message to the prince to come

visit

wad the princess who was now nearby was

very pleased when she finally met wad

but it was clear he wasn't interested in

marrying her and she wasn't interested

in him

either a grand Feast was being held

quite like the banquet at the end of

each asterisk book The Prince arrived

soon and just as wath had hoped the

prince and princess liked each

other they had arrived separately but

they left as a

couple vad had had a hard time adjusting

to the rich clothes and Palace

life he didn't like having to tie a tie

and to be welld dressed all the

time and frankly he missed 7 Days of

grass

cutting luckily just after the prince

and Princess left the magic began to

wear off soon wad was back in his

tattered clothes and in his mud hut he

couldn't have been

happier now in this story everyone is

assumed to be incredibly honest the

Jeweler the merchant and of course

wad which pretty much proves how this is

a work of fiction if it were real life

wad wouldn't have managed to save much

money money because his piggy bank would

have been burgled several times over 50

years and even if it hadn't the Jeweler

would have simply kept all the money

without offering the bracelet in

exchange and failing that the merchant

would have sold off the bracelet himself

it's unreasonable how many times the

gifts are exchanged and yet valida

doesn't stop forwarding the

gifts personally I don't like the fact

that the deception continues with W's

temporary Palace and rich clothes I wish

he had been open with the princess and

the prince it's not like they weren't

soon going to discover that they had

some of each other's

gifts the possibility of being executed

was more important to wad than sticking

to his I don't care about money

principle although he needn't have

worried the prince and princess that he

had picked were the most

virtuous they wouldn't execute him after

all he didn't lie to them or

anything that's all I have for this week

thanks again to all you listeners and

especially to everyone who provided

feedback thanks to all my family and

friends for their

support and I wish everyone happy

holidays the music is from purple

planet.com that's purple Das planet.com

and I'll see you again on

[Music]

Sunday