A Story to Learn From, by Swami Vivekananda

August 2, 2005

Swami Vivekananda was a great storyteller. His talks and writings are

interspersed with numerous anecdotes, examples, similes, and illustrations

mirroring his vast knowledge of human nature — its potential and its relative

limitations. Some of these stories are well known, many others are little known.

Here is one such story from his Complete Works:

THE TRUTH WILL OUT, SOONER OR LATER

There was a certain king who had a huge number of courtiers, and each one of

these courtiers declared he was ready to sacrifice his life for his master, and

that he was the most sincere being ever born.

In course of time, a Sannyasin came to the king. The king said to him that there

never was a king who had so many sincere courtiers as he had. The Sannyasin

smiled and said he did not believe that. The king said the Sannyasin could test

it if he liked. So the Sannyasin declared that he would make a great sacrifice

by which the king's reign would be extended very long, with the condition that

there should be made a small tank into which each one of his courtiers should

pour a pitcher of milk, in the dark of night. The king smiled and said, 'Is this

the test?' And he asked his courtiers to come to him, and told them what was to

be done.

They all expressed their joyful assent to the proposal and returned. In the dead

of night, they came and emptied their pitchers into the tank. But in the

morning, it was found full of water only. The courtiers were assembled and

questioned about the matter. Each one of them had thought there would be so many

pitchers of milk that his water would not be detected.

Unfortunately most of us have the same idea and we do our share of work as did

the courtiers in the story. (CW, 1:427-8)

Recommended Posts