Early one morning King Birbhadra went out hunting. While he was returning to his palace he felt very tired, hungry and thirsty. Suddenly by the roadside he saw a field of watermelons. What else could be more desirable to a thirsty person? Be ordered his attendants to bring some good watermelons. While they were proceeding towards the field, the king heard the sound of laughter. Everyone looked in the same direction and saw a middle-aged blind man. The king asked, “Why do you laugh?”
“You ordered for good watermelons,” the blind man answered, “but there are no watermelons here, so it made me laugh.”
“You are blind. How did you know that there are no watermelons in the field?”
“My lord, one does not require eyesight to know everything. The season of watermelons is over. All good fruits have been collected, may be some rotten ones are left behind in the field.”
The attendants reported exactly what the blind man had said.
King Birbhadra was impressed by the blind man’s farsightedness. He decided to take him along with him to the capital. The blind man might help him in solving problems.
The blind man’s name was Sanjay. He was given a small but in the outskirts to live in and was also given two potfuls of rice daily. Thus, Sanjay began spending his life.
Once a jeweller came to the palace with many precious gems and pearls. The courtiers, according to their, prudence, advised the king to purchase the best ones. The jeweller noticed that none of them were capable of differentiating between real diamonds and the imitations.
He then held one diamond and an imitation in each hand and said, “The price of the actual diamond is one lakh rupees; the other one is just a glass piece. One, who is the most intelligent among you, may choose the real one. There is one condition—if anyone picks up the imitation as the genuine, he has to pay the price of the real one.”
After hearing him there was complete silence. None ventured to offer advice any more.
Observing this the king sent for Sanjay, “Let me see whether he is able to differentiate between the real and the imitation.”
The ministers and courtiers looked at each other. There were subdued contemptuous smiles on their lips. Sanjay? The.blind man? How could he differentiate the genuine from the imitation?
When Sanjay arrived, everything was explained to him. He asked the jeweller to place both the genuine diamond and the imitation on his palms. The merchant did so. Sanjay kept his palms in the sun for sometime. After a while he handed over one to the king saying, “This is the real diamond.”
Amazed, the merchant saw that the blind man had indeed marked the correct one.
The king paid him the price and then asked Sanjay, “How did you find the real one?”
“My lord, if you keep diamond and glass in the sun, the glass gets warm but the diamond does not,” Sanjay replied.
Satisfied with the blind man’s explanation, the king sanctioned him meals thrice daily and some other facilities.
One morning in the court, there was a case of property dispute between two brothers. Before his death, their father had left them a vast property. There were a few thousand acres of land consisting of fertile as well as barren, hilly terrain. Also the
lakes, forests and rivers made it difficult to divide the property equally. So, they came to the king’s court for settlement.
When everything was explained to the concerned land and property minister and his officers, they found it difficult to divide the property. The king again sent for Sanjay.
The ministers could not understand as to how a blind man could solve the difficult real estate dispute when experienced people with sight were in deep waters!
Hearing everything Sanjay said smilingly, “Let one of the brothers divide the entire property and other one choose which parts he would like to accept. And, who would divide and who would choose his part, let it be decided by drawing lots.” Both the brothers accepted the decision gladly. Their arduous problem was solved easily.
Thus, Sanjay spent his days living in the small but and by helping the king in solving complicated disputes and offering good, timely advice.
One afternoon, the king, feeling lonely, called Sanjay. He asked, “Sanjay, you are such a wise, intelligent and learned person. The most difficult and intricate problems become easy to your sharp intelligence. You have been meeting me in various situations. Is it not surprising that you never could comprehend that I have not got the kingdom by way of inheritance, but occupied the throne illegally?”
“I knew this from the very beginning,” replied Sanjay in a calm voice.
“How?” asked the curious king.
“If one was born in a royal family and is helped by someone in solving the most difficult problems, then he will never be so ungenerous as to keep him on the outskirts of the city in a common but and providing only three meals a day,” Sanjay replied.
The king’s head hung in shame.
bagus !