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| Sunday, 4 July 2004 |
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All the king's men Sunday parable by Sunanda Mahendra The king summoned his counsellors, advisors and consultants to ask an important question that was worrying him.
"Are you listening to me?" asked the king loudly. "Yes our lord," they all said. "Is there a single person in this kingdom who criticises me and my way of ruling?" the king asked again. This time several hands went up. "Yes, answer my question" "There is one person who criticises your lord," said one. "Who is that fellow?" "A learned man" "A learned man, you say! I want to know what he says?" "He says that you are not fit to be a king" The king rose up from his throne. "What? Who is that fellow who says that. I am not fit to be a king?" The counsellor who responded, looked at the faces of the others. "Do you all know him - this fellow who says that I am not fit to be a king?" the king asked the others. "Yes oh great king," said all of them in unison. The king was worried. "So this is the situation now. I want to punish him right at this moment," the king said in anger. "Please don't do it?" said the chief counsellor. "Why oh why," asked the king. "Your lord should either get him down here, or meet him," said the chief counsellor. "Why should I meet him?" asked the king. "Then you can know for yourself the real situation." Some others disagreed with the chief counsellor, and they said. "That fellow is a queer one! He has a whole retinue of pupils, they will tease our lordship" "So what do you advise me to do", asked the king in a humbler manner, as if in self pity. Then the king's men once again looked at each other as if to find a way of helping the king. "Tell me quickly, for I want to know what I should do?" "Will you allow us to discuss this matter among ourselves and then meet your lordship soon?" asked one advisor. The chief counsellor also nodded his head in agreement. Then the king left the royal auditorium and returned in a few minutes. "Have you found the answer to my query," the king asked. "Yes our lordship" "Tell me" "You should disguise yourself and meet him and asks in the humblest manner possible, what he thinks about the king of the country!" "That's a brilliant idea", said the king and got the services of the royal make-up artiste to disguise him. They all walked towards the learned man. The king's men hid themselves and observed what was happening. "I am a stranger to this kingdom," said the disguised king when he saw the learned man, the critic. "So what do you want me to do?", asked the learned man. "I want to see the king" The learned man laughed loudly. "You want to see that proud fool of a man who calls himself a king?" "Why do you call him a fool?" "If you don't call him a fool, you will call me a fool later." "But why do you call him a fool?" "You have asked a wise question. This is the answer. He has not learned the art of ruling. He believes that his pundits, the advisors, consultants all those fools can govern a kingdom. If I am to be made an advisor I would instantly teach him what he should do. He should sack all his lackeys, for they are much more foolish than the king himself." "Thank you sir, so do you advise me not to see him." "I advise you to be aloof as much as possible for your own safe, or go back to the place from where you came!" The king who was disguised went back to his palace. All the king's men too followed. "Now I know what sort of a person that learned man is" said the king to his men. "And I know what I should do now," he added. The king's men once again looked at each other's faces in a helpless mood. "I wish to appoint him as my chief advisor or the chief royal councillor - send him a royal message to that effect." A royal messenger went to see the learned man with the message. The learned man read the message and smilingly said. "Take this back to your foolish king and say that I don't want to serve a foolish king, until he removes all his foolish advisors. Leave me alone!" The stranger who came to know of the situation murmured to himself: "A ruler must be quite careful about his or her critics, for if they are too sharp they should find a diplomatic way of silencing them." |
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"Is there any person who criticises me in this kingdom?" the
king asked them. All of them looked at each other as if they were a group
of dummies.
