Untitled Document

Manoj Das
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In days gone by, the taxes due to a king had to be transported by bullock-carts or horse-drawn carriages to the royal treasury in the capital.

That is what was being done. A nobleman, on behalf of his chieftain, was carrying the king’s dues loaded in a bullock-cart, to the capital. He had but only four escorts with him, for the way was reasonably safe and he had set out early enough to reach his destination before the sunset. The nobleman rode a horse, but galloped slowly keeping pace with the cart.

But an unexpected shower with terrific wind detained them for hours at a roadside inn. It was late in the afternoon when they resumed their journey and, naturally, darkness set in while they were on a road passing through a range of hills.

A gang of bandits, coming from a neighbouring state, were waiting in ambush in a gorge. They pounced on the nobleman’s party and tried to loot the money and valuable gifts the cart carried. The four escorts were no match for the gang. They and the nobleman himself fought bravely in defence of the wealth entrusted to them, but they were about to give up when a group of six friends, all young men, happened to arrive on the spot. They had seen a battalion of the king’s sepoys camping on a nearby rock. One of the young men rode the nobleman’s horse and galloped like a whiff of wind to inform the sepoys about the fight, while the other five friends joined the escorts and put up a valiant resistance against the bandits.

But the bandits were a crafty and cruel lot and they would have succeeded in getting away with their loot if the sepoys had not arrived there on time. The situation changed in the twinkling of an eye. The bandits were rounded up. They would have been killed had they not surrendered.

At the request of the nobleman, the six youths accompanied him to the palace which was not far. The sepoys led the bandits to jail.

The king was informed of the incident at once. He ordered for cordial hospitality to be accorded to the young men.

Next day, at the royal court, the bandits were tried and their punishment was announced. Next, the king decided to award the brave young friends.

“I do not wish to give uniform rewards to all of you. Each one of you may have a specific need. I will like to satisfy each one individually,” said the king and he looked at the senior-most among the six and desired him to speak out his need.

“My Lord, we are happy to have been of some use to our king. That itself is our reward. However, let’s plead for a road to my village. Our folks grow vegetables and bring them to the market in this town. During the rains they must plod through mire and waist-deep muddy water for their humble business. The sight saddens me.”

“Granted,” said the king. The officer concerned was instructed accordingly.

The king then looked at the next young man.

“My Lord, my parents and I live in a dilapidated house. We have no means to build a new one,” the young man stated.

“You’ll have a fine new house,” said the king and the order reached the right officer.

The king’s attention went over to the third young man.

“My parents are poor and, unfortunately, I am only an artist and as such cannot earn enough to ensure them happiness,” he said.

“You’ll have enough property to let your family live comfortably,” announced the king. The supplicant was given an estate.

It was the fourth young man’s turn to step forward.

“My Lord, my ancestors were widely respected. My grandfather was about to receive a hereditary title to nobility when he died. Had my father been active and in contact with the palace, he would have got the title. But he has been ignored for years.”

The king found out from the senior courtiers that what the young man said was true. He announced that on behalf of his ailing father, the young man would receive their title to nobility. That would make the young man courtier.

The fifth young man blushed when asked to state his need. He managed to say, after some hesitation, that he desired to marry a certain girl in the town who too had set her head upon him. In fact he and his friends had visited the town the previous day to plead with the bride’s father to let the lovers marry. But then the bride’s father was unwilling to receive them because they were strangers. “Only if I could say that the king knows me! To what nobler and greater reference could I take recourse?”

The king laughed affectionately and sent for the girl’s father who was now more than pleased to entertain the young man’s proposal.

The kings’s gaze went over to the last young man in the group.

“My Lord, before I put forth my prayer, can I have your Majesty’s assurance that it will be fulfilled? I promise that I will not ask for anything in terms of wealth or any material interest or anything which the king, if he is kind to me, cannot grant,” said the young man most politely.

The king looked amused. “Go on,” he said.

“My village is at the foot of a hill. The valley is well-known for its natural beauty and highly beneficent climate. My prayer is, the king should pass a week, once every year, in my house.”

The king sat feeling intrigued. The courtiers whispered among themselves doubting the sanity of the young man. How was he going to benefit by this?

But, by no means was it a prayer for something which the king could not grant!

He agreed and the young man bowed to him, beaming with joy.

Now, it was for the king’s administration to see that the promise made by the king was practically fulfilled.

To begin with, a good road was built to the young man’s village to facilitate the passage of the royal chariot.

Next, the young man’s simple house had to be replaced by a mansion worthy of being the king’s residence once a year for (long live the king!) years to come!

Then, the mansion must be supported by an estate the income from which would sustain it and its staff.

Next, the king, as a rule, could not be an ordinary commoner’s guest. Hence titles denoting nobility of the highest order were bestowed on the young man.

Finally, the king’s hostess should be one who was quite familiar with his preferences in matters of food, rest and everything else. Who but a princess could meet the demand efficiently! Now that the young man was a member of the aristocracy, had an excellent house, was handsome and intelligent, there was no reason why he could not marry one of the daughters of the king!

We seek so many boons from God, but rarely God Himself. Like the sixth young man receiving everything and even more through a single prayer, a devotee could get everything if he got God. What is meant by everything in the story, is the sense of contentment that comes by direct contact with God and not the physical objects of desire.

(Manoj Das is an internationally known creative writer. He is the recipient of India’s national recognition, the Sahitya Akademi Award and the nation’s most prestigious literacy award, the Saraswati Samman. As a social commentator, his columns in India’s national dailies like The Times of Indias, The Hindustan Times, The Hindu and The Statesman, revealing the deeper truth and the untraced aspects behind current issues, have been highly appreciated).