Two Beggars

[Abhidevananda]

A deaf beggar and a lame beggar became partners. The lame beggar seated
himself on the deaf beggar's shoulders, and they went begging
together. One day they arrived at a house where a wedding was being
held. The lame man, hearing the music of the party, was seized with an
urge to dance.

"I feel so happy - please dance for me!" he shouted to his deaf
partner on whose shoulders he sat.

But the deaf beggar could neither hear his partner nor the music from
the wedding.

A blind beggar came by and shared a bottle of wine with the deaf man.
With each succeeding drink, the deaf man became more jolly. Soon he
began to skip about. As a result, the lame beggar began to shake up and
down. And so it happened that both partners danced - the lame one
because of the music and the deaf one because of the wine.