The Wise Sage

A king had a bad-mannered son. One day, the king saw a sage and asked for his help. The sage said, "I will help you."

The next day, the sage asked the prince to come for a walk with him. There he pointed towards a little plant and said, "Eat its leaf and let me know about it." The prince put the leaf in his mouth but spat it out instantly. He said, "It is bitter. It could be dangerous." So, he uprooted the plant and threw it away.

The sage smiled and said, "The way you reacted towards the plant, one day, in the same way, the people of your kingdom may react towards you. They think that you are a bad prince. You must mend your ways or you will never become a king." The prince learned his lesson. From that day onwards, the prince mended his ways. The king was overjoyed.