Three Questions...

Once upon a time, there was a certain king who knew he would never fail if he knew the answers to his three questions. These questions were: What is the right time to begin something? Which people should he listen to? What is the most important thing for him to do? To find the answers, he sent messengers throughout the kingdom, promising a large sum of money to the correct person. Many wise men came but failed because there were different answers to all the questions which made him dissatisfied with the answers. Then, he decided to get his answers from a hermit who was known for his wisdom. The hermit who lived in the woods had never left the woods and had never met anyone but simple people. With this much information, he decided to dress up ordinarily to meet him.

Before reaching his hut, the king left his horse with his bodyguard and went on alone. When he reached the hut, he saw the hermit digging the ground in front of his hut. The hermit greeted the king and continued digging. He was an old and weak man. The king asked him the answers to his three questions. However, the hermit didn’t answer. He just kept on digging. The king then took his spade from him and dug. The hermit thanked him. After digging two beds, the king repeated his questions. However, instead of answering him, he asked for the spade so that he could dig. But the king did not give him the spade and continued to dig. The sunset. The king stood up and asked the hermit if he would answer his questions. If not, then he would go home. Then, someone came running. It was a bearded man, who had pressed his hands against his stomach, from where blood was flowing.

The king and the hermit treated him and then, the bleeding stopped. After regaining consciousness, the bearded man apologized to the king and explained who he was. Actually, the bearded man was the king’s enemy and sought revenge from him as the king had once seized his brother’s property and had put him to death. However, the king had saved his life, and so the man declared himself to be his most faithful servant. After the conversation with the bearded man was over, he went to the hermit and repeated his questions. The hermit replied that the king had got his answers already, and to clear his doubts, he gave the answers. The most important time is ‘now’, the most necessary person is the person you are with at a particular moment, and the most important business is to do that person good.

Moral:- live in the present moment, rather than grumbling about the past and being anxious about tomorrow.