A GREAT LESSON OF LIFE
Long long ago (A‡bK
A‡bK Av‡M), there
was (wQj) a king. He was
very kind (`qvjy)
and took care of (hZÅ“
wb‡Zb) his
subjects (cÖRv‡`i).
The people in his kingdom (ivR¨)
were leading (hvcb
Ki‡Zv) a
happy and comfortable (Avivg`vqK)
life (Rxeb).
The kings of other kingdoms also (I)
respected (m¤§v
Ki‡Zv) him. But the
king was (wQ‡jb)
always (me©`v) worried (DwØMÅ“).
The cause (Kvib)
of his worry (DwØMœZv)
was (wQ‡jv) his sole (GKgvÃŽ)
son. One day, he went (†M‡jb)
to (Kv‡Q) a sage (Fwl)
and said to him, “ O pious
soul (avwg©K
AvZÅ“v), I have (Av‡Q)
only one son. But he has been spoilt (bó
n‡q †M‡Q) due
to (Kvi‡b) excessive (AwZwi³)
affection (†¯Å“n)
from my part (Avgvi
w`K †_‡K). He neither respects (m¤§vb
K‡i)
anyone nor helps (mvnvh¨ K‡i)
in courtly affairs (ivRmfv
wel‡q).”
The sage (Fwl)
listened (ïb‡jb)
to the king patiently (ˆa‡h©i
m‡½)
and said, “ You send (cvwV‡q `vI) the prince (hyeivR‡K) to me (Avgvi Kv‡Q) tomorrow.”
The next day (c‡ii w`b), the prince reached (†cÅ uQj) the sage’s cottage (KzwUi). There was (wQ‡jv) a big garden in front of (mvg‡b)
the cottage. The sage took (wb‡q
†M‡jb) the
prince for a stroll
(cvqPvixi Rb¨)
in the garden (evMv‡b). The sage, indicating (Bkviv K‡i) a neem tree, said, “ Son, do you see (Zzwg wK †`L‡Z cv‡”Qv)
the small tree there? Pluck
(Zz‡jv)
some of the leaves (wKQzUv cvZv)
of the tree and chew (wPwe‡q
LvI)
them.” The prince went (†Mj) there, plucked (wQuoj) some neem leaves, and
put them in his mouth (gy‡Li g‡a¨).
The taste (¯^v`)
was (wQ‡jv)
so (GZUv)
bitter (wZ³)
that he immediately (m‡½ m‡½) spat them out (_yZ w`‡q †ei Kiv)
and said , “ These are very bitter (LyeB
wZ³).
Can I understand why (†Kb) people grow (jvMvq) such (Gai‡bi) plants? When this plant (MvQwU) grows (eo n‡e), it will spread (Qov‡e)
only (‡KejB)
bitterness (wZ³Zv).
I can’t make out ( †`L‡Z cvw”Q bv)
the importance (¸iæZ¡)
of such trees.” Saying
so (GB K_v e‡jB),
the prince uprooted (Zz‡j †djj) the plant and threw (Quy‡o †djj) it. The sage
said smilingly (nvwm w`‡q), “ The enemy (kÃŽÆ’) may destroy (aŸsm
K‡i w`‡Z cv‡i) you in the same way (GKB fv‡e) you destroyed (aŸsm Ki‡j) the plant. You are a careless (D`vmxb) child. You take no interest (AvMÖn †`LvI bv)
in the courtly affairs (ivR mfvi wel‡q).
You neither respect (m¤§vb K‡iv) nor obey (gvb¨ K‡iv) your elders (eq‡Rô¨). Your father is much worried (DwØMÅ“) about you. You will come to throne (wmsnvmb) after your
father. But your subjects
(cÖRviv)
will not respect (¯§vb Ki‡e bv)
you as much as (hZUv cwigvb)
they respect (m¤§vb K‡i) your father.” The prince was ashamed (jw¾m n‡jv) of his behavior (AvPi‡Y). He promised (cÖwZ½v Kij), “ I will try (Avwg †Póv Ki‡ev)
to be (n‡Z) a good son and a good prince. A small bitter plant (†Z‡Zv MvQv) has taught (wkwL‡q‡Q)
me the lesson (wkÿv) of
life
which I will never forget (fzje bv).” The prince touched (¯§k© Kij) the sage’s feet (&&Fwli cv)
and went to the court (ivR mfvq).
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