Destination Desert
This happened during the time of Kaniska. Kaniska then ruled a large territory in Northern India. His capital was Purushpur. He was so generous that his subjects looked upon him as a god. Undoubtedly Kaniska was the greatest hero of his time. He could defeat any king with whom he fought a battle. Many a king who had never faced him in a battle owed allegiance to him out of fear. They sent a token tax or git to him every year. One such king was the ruler of Kanyakubja. Once, on the occasion of Kaniska's birthday, he sent him the gift of a piece of silk. Kaniska liked the silk very much. He called his tailor and asked him to make a shirt out of the cloth. The tailor promised to do it in a week. But the tailor failed to report even after a fortnight. Had he fallen sick? The king, upon inquiry, learned that he had been moving about as hale and hearty as ever. The king got annoyed. The tailor was summoned and asked how he dared to neglect his duty. "My lord, it is out of sheer fear that I have not reported to you. The piece of silk you gave me bears the mark of a pair of shoes. However carefully I try, I cannot avoid the mark appearing on the back of the shirt. How can I show such a shirt to you, my lord?" asked the tailor. Kaniska grew furious. He realized that it is with a mind to insult him that the King of Kanyakubja had sent him the cloth.