Honesty

[Guest guest]

Namaskar,

 

Another Good story to share :

 

A king in ancient times, by the name of Mahendra, was famous for his

wisdom and righteousness. People in his kingdom were very happy

because their great king ruled justly, and looked after the needs of

his subjects.

 

Alas, each episode of happiness has its flipside also. The law of

the opposites is relentless. Heat and cold, pleasure and pain,

happiness and unhappiness; they revolve and put in an appearance in

turn.

 

King Mahendra was also subject to the law of the opposites. The king

had one regret. He had no children. The question about the successor

to the throne was worrying the king. His ministers were becoming

anxious because the king was advancing into old age and his subjects

were also becoming unsure about their own future.

 

To solve the question about the successor to the throne, King

Mahendra thought of looking for a person with good character. He

announced throughout his kingdom that people were invited to the

palace grounds and from amongst the people present a successor to

the throne may be chosen.

 

People flocked to the palace on the appointed day. King Mahendra

addressed the people and told them that he would hand out seeds to

each person present. The seeds were to be planted and whoever

brought back the best-grown and most colourful flowers would be

chosen as the crown prince. A person that can take care of plants

and make them prosper can also make the kingdom prosper.

 

The people took the seeds and went back home.

 

Some weeks later, people started bringing flowerpots with some

amazing results. There were happy plants all over the palace grounds

and the plants were displaying their bright smiles through their

colourful flowers of great variety. Each pot plant was bearing the

name of the owner written in big bold letters on a tag that was

attached to the plant. Some of the ministers even appointed a team

of judges to help select the winner on the appointed day.

 

One man, however, had not succeeded in growing any plant in his

flowerpot. There was just the soil and not even a tiny plant in his

flowerpot. When he brought his empty flowerpot to the palace

grounds, people stared at him in disbelief. Some even ridiculed him.

His flowerpot with no plant in it was drowned in a sea of colourful

flowers. There was no plant to which he can fasten his nametag. He

simply attached the tag to the side of the flowerpot.

 

The whole palace ground was turned into another Vrindavan garden.

There were rows upon rows of flowers of the most magnificent

varieties that one ever saw and the colours were breathtaking. The

judges thought amongst themselves that it would be a difficult task

to choose the winner. Such was the enthusiasm of the people.

 

On the appointed day, the whole population turned up at the palace

grounds. Speculations were rife as to which flowerpot would get

chosen. The ministers looked at the judges and the judges again went

into last minute consultations. The harbinger then announced the

imminent arrival of his majesty, king Mahendra. There were loud

cheers as the king entered the royal pavilion erected specially for

this occasion. Long live the king! Long live the king! The people

started singing in chorus. The king was then seated on his throne.

 

The king asked the ministers to brief him about the efforts of the

people and the ministers told the king about the incredible variety

of flowers that were brought back by the people. One minister

announced to the people that his majesty had decided to walk amongst

the plants to savour the wafting scents of the flowers and to behold

the beauty of the colourful flowers.

 

Accompanied by his ministers and by the palace gardener, the king

was walking and observing each flower pot and now and again made

some comments about the spectacular colours and the pleasing aroma

that permeated the palace grounds. Upon completing his tour, the

king returned to the royal pavilion.

 

The final hour had arrived. The time for announcement about the

successor to the throne was approaching by the minute. The king rose

from his throne to address the people. There was a pin drop silence.

People felt their heartbeats quicken. The expectations were very

high and so were the high standards of the flowerpot entries. The

ministers were looking at the judges who signalled that they were

ready to announce their decision.

 

The king started to address the people. In a sombre tone, king

Mahendra enquired about one failed entry where the flowerpot had

only soil in it and asked its owner to come forward and explain to

him. A man right at the back of the huge crowd raised his hand and

started making his way towards the royal pavilion. He could hear

people making caustic remarks about him. His ears were getting full

with sarcasm and stinging words that were being tossed about by the

people. An expression of timidity began to creep upon his

countenance as he came face to face with his majesty, king Mahendra.

 

The king requested an explanation as to why his flowerpot had no

plant. The man answered that he had tried his best, even adding more

fertilizer and carefully watering the seeds, but that he was

disappointed and sorry that he could not grow anything. The king

stood up and told the people present that he had chosen his

successor. It was none else than the man whose effort at growing

flowering plant from the seeds that were given to him by the king

was a total failure.

 

The people were incredulous and the ministers and the judges were

dumbfounded. With a look full of puzzle on their faces, they awaited

an explanation from the king. King Mahendra placed his hand upon the

shoulder of the man that was chosen as his successor and spoke to

the people.

 

The king said: I was looking for a man with character and I have

found him. I had all the seeds roasted before I gave them out. This

fact was kept a secret. It was not possible for any seeds to

germinate. People who received the seeds from me bought other seeds

for their flowerpots when they did not see any plants growing in

their flowerpots. I was on the lookout for that honest person who

would produce the correct results and when I saw that one flowerpot

without any plant, at that moment I knew that I had found that

honest man.

 

The people were taken aback. The ministers and the judges stood

there with their heads bowed in agreement. The minds of the people

were filled with wonderment and satisfaction. A sense of authority

prevailed when king Mahendra bestowed the title of the crown prince

upon the man whose honesty won over the hearts of the people.

 

The king, who was learned and full of wisdom, concluded his address

by saying that he was searching for a man, who possessed the Divine

Wealth (Daivy Sampat), to become his successor.

 

The description of this Divine Wealth is given in the first three

verses of the 16th Chapter of the Bhagavad Gita.

 

 

 

Threefold is the faith of the embodied, which is inherent in their

nature- the Satvic (pure), the Rajasic (passionate) and the Tamasic

(dark).

-Gita Ch. 17, verse 2

 

The faith of each is in accordance with his nature, O Arjuna. The

man consists of his faith. As a man's faith is, so is he.

-Gita Ch. 17, verse 3

 

The Satvic or the pure men worship the gods; the Rajasik or the

passionate worship the Yakshas (demi-gods) and the Rakshasas; the

others (the Tamasic or the deluded people) worship the ghosts and

the hosts of nature-spirits.

-Gita Ch. 17, verse 4

 

Source:http://www.hinduism.co.za