Who is a responsible citizen?
A noble King—worried about his people—The people of his kingdom
were irresponsible and lazy—The king wanted to teach them a lesson—At
night—without being noticed anyone—put sack sewage in the road—First a
Poojari—a gentleman-lady-soldier all passed by—last a poor farmer—he removed the
trash—under --a box containing gold and jewels—a reward from King—for being a
responsible citizen.
Once there was a king, he was particular in that he should be always just and responsible. Tales of his responsibility, strength, and cleanliness spread far and wide to distant lands. But unfortunately, most of the people of his kingdom were irresponsible and lazy. He often wondered what would happen to his country if the people of his kingdom were going like this.
The King wanted to test his
people, make them realize the true worth of duty, and teach them a lesson.
Around midnight disguised himself, and had a big sack of trash and sewage kept in
the middle of the main road. It was attracted by flies and mosquitoes. In the
morning there came down a Poojari that way: and when he saw the waste he passed
by on the other side. He says to himself, “I must pray all day long and
this is not my work”.
Next, arrived a gentleman, when he was at the place, who came and looked at the waste and passed by on the other side. And likewise, a wealthy lady did the same. A soldier of the King came by, frowned, and said aloud, “What a foul smell”. All the people who passed by blamed the government for not maintaining cleanliness in the streets, but none went even close to it. The only thing they did with one voice was blame the government for not performing its duties well.
But a poor farmer, as he
journeyed, on his way to the field came there: and when he saw the sewage, he
tried to drag it to the other side of the road. As soon as he had plucked the
one end of the sack and tried to drag it to the other side of the road, he saw
a box under it. On the top of it was written, “JUST FOR YOU” When the box was
opened he was surprised to see that it was filled with gold coins, silver
coins, and even jewels.
Suddenly, the King appeared on
the scene. The King said to that poor farmer that it was meant to be a reward
for the one who would remove the impurity and fulfill his responsibility as a
dutiful citizen. “For you have I seen righteous and dutiful”. On hearing the
words of King, people realized their mistake but it was too late.
A Donkey in Lion’s Skin
Merchant and donkey—from one village to another for
business—clever merchant threw a lion skin on the donkey –the donkey munched in the
field—villagers think it was a lion—one day they attacked the animal—heard the
sound of a donkey—they realized the truth
Once upon a time, there lived a
merchant, who often went to the towns and villages with his loaded donkey for
his business. They traveled from one village to another then from one town to
another town. This merchant was a tricky man, usually, he did not buy any food
for his assistant. After doing the morning business the merchant would throw a
lion skin over the donkey and let him loose in the fields of villagers for his
lunch. The donkey grazed in peace because when the villagers saw the donkey in
lion skin they ran in fear, thinking it was a lion.
Both of them were happy, one day
they came to a new village near a river. As usual, the merchant started his
business, and within two hours the load disappeared and his purse was filled.
They move to the shore of the river, making sure that, no one is watching them,
he throws the lion’s skin over the donkey and leaves him into the fields.
After lunch, the merchant took a rest under the shade of a mango tree and the donkey grazed happily. The people
of that village spotted the animal in their field. At first, they feared, but
collecting sticks and stones they rushed towards the animal.
The donkey began to bray, “Hee-
hee! Haw -haw! The villagers realized that it was not a lion, it was only a
donkey in a lion's skin. Neither the merchant nor the donkey expected how the villagers stormed on the animal. The poor animal ran here and there, but
with no hope, the villagers beat him until they made sure that it was dead.
They threw him out of the fields and returned to their homes happily.
It was one of the worst moments in the life of
the merchant, “this would never happen if you did not open your mouth”. Saying
sadly the merchant went on his way home.
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