The King’s Mission

Once there was a king who thought that to be a successful ruler he must know the
answer of three questions. The 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?

The Wise Men and their Solutions

The king sent messengers in all directions to find people who could answer these
questions. Many wise men came, but their answers were all different.

The king was not satisfied with these answers as they were so different from each
other.

He thought to seek consultation of a wise hermit who lived in the jungle. The hermit
will see only ordinary people so the king dressed up like a normal man, leaving
behind his horse and bodyguards and went to the hermit’s hut. The hermit was an
old man and was busy digging the ground in front of his house. The king told the
hermit that he has come in search of answers for his three questions and repeated
them.

The hermit didn’t respond and continued digging the ground. Sometime passed and
the king, seeing the hermit to be tired, offered his help. The king continued digging
the ground till evening. In the evening the king again requested the hermit to
answer his questions, but at that moment someone came running towards the
hermit’s hut.

A man came running towards them with a hand on his wounded stomach. The king
cleaned the wound and dressed the wound controlling the flow of blood. The man
felt better and asked for some water. Hermit and the king took the man inside the
house. The man was lying quiet inside the house and the tired king too fell asleep
on the ground.

In the morning when the king opened his eyes he saw the wounded man asking for
forgiveness. The man told the king that he had come to take revenge from him
because the king had killed his brother and had taken away all his property. He
wanted to kill the king while returning from the hermit’s [Link] the king’s
bodyguards found him and wounded him. He would have died if the king would not
have helped him. He regretted his thoughts of killing the king and promised to be
his faithful servant. The king was pleased to turn his enemy into a friend. He
forgave him and returned all his property. When the wounded man arrived, the most
important time was when he was caring for him else he would have died of his
wounds without the two of them reconciling for their acts.

The king then went to look for the hermit who was sowing seeds in the beds that
they have dug the day before. He requested the hermit for the last time to answer
his questions. To this the hermit replied that the king has already found the
answers.

So at that moment, the wounded man was the most important man and nursing him
was the most important business. The hermit said to the man that the most
important time is now because it is the only time when we have the power to act.
The most important person at a particular moment is ourselves because the future
is unknown to all of us and there is always an uncertainty about meeting anyone
else. The most important job is to do good to others because we have been sent to
this world for this noble cause.

Also he explains further if he would not have pitied hermit’s condition the day
before then the man would have attacked him on his way and he might have lost his
life. So, the most important time was when he was digging the bed and the hermit
was the most important man.

Three Questions
Questions and Answers

Q1. What were the three questions of the king?

Ans: The king wanted to know the reply of three questions to succeed in life. Firstly,
he wanted to know the right time for every action. Secondly, he wanted to know the
most important people for him, and finally he wanted to know the most important
work for him.

Q2. What reply did he get from the hermit?

Ans: In order to find a proper reply, the king went to a hermit where the hermit told
him that the right time for every action is now. The most important person is one with
whom one is now, and the most important occupation is to do the person good.

Q3. Who was the wounded man? Why did he want to kill the king?
Ans: The wounded man was the brother of the king’s enemy. He wanted to kill the
king because the king once executed his brother and seized his property.
Q4. Who wounded him and how?
Ans: The king’s bodyguard wounded the man when the man was waiting for the king
to be killed. The man knew that the king had gone alone to meet the hermit. So he
decided to take his revenge on the king on his way back. But the king did not return.
Then the man came out from his ambush to find the king. As soon as he came out,
the king’s bodyguard recognized him and wounded him.

Q5. How did the king and the hermit help the wounded man?
Ans: The king and the hermit helped the wounded man by providing him the shelter
and protection. The king washed and covered the wound of the man with his
handkerchief, but the blood would not stop flowing. The king re-dressed the wound
until it stopped bleeding. They took him to the hut to take rest.

Q6. What was the king's problem?

Answer: The king's problem was how to avoid a failure in any business or occasion.
For this he wanted a clear answer or solution to his three questions - the right time
for doing something, the right thing, and the right persons who could give him proper
guidance at any time. He thought that he would never fail in any matter if he knew
answers to these three questions.

Q7. Why did the king go to the hermit?

Ans: When the king could not satisfy himself by the answers given by the wise men
then he decided to seek advice of a hermit who used to live in the forest and was
famous for his wisdom. The hermit never went out of the forest and used to meet
only common people. So the king went to the forest in disguise of a common man.

Q8. Why did the bearded man want to take revenge?

Ans: The king had punished the bearded man's brother to death and seized his
property. So, the bearded man wanted to take revenge by killing the king.

Q9. What is the moral of the story "Three Questions"?

Ans: The moral of the story "Three Questions" is that - Revenge is not the solution to
settle the scores. The best solution is 'Service to Mankind and Love' which is more
powerful than hatred. That is the best way by which we can win the heart of even our
sworn enemy as a friend.

Kahoot!
[Link]
a89c-9591db752a75

06385720