The story describes a sage who remained tolerant when a rowdy repeatedly spat on him while he bathed in the Ganges river. Each time, the sage quietly bathed again without showing anger. This led the rowdy to realize his mistake and apologize. The rowdy revealed that a jealous millionaire had paid him to insult the sage and damage his reputation. The sage's display of extreme tolerance and forgiveness teaches that tolerance is needed to reduce problems caused by differences in religion, caste, or creed.