The King's Cousin
Long ago the kingdom of Banga was ruled by Pradipsen, a king who was as wise as he was humble. He patronized scholars and such people who showed some talent in some field or the other. Moreover, he was kind and he listened to the complaints of his subjects with great patience. He offended none. One morning while the king was preparing to come down to the court from his apartment on the upper floor, he heard some noisy exchange near his gate. He came out to his balcony and observed what was going on below. An old man in tattered clothes was trying to convince the gatekeepers that he was a cousin of the king. "But we know all the kinsmen of the king. You cannot deceive us," said the gatekeepers. A number of noblemen who were entering the palace to attend the court laughed at the old man's claim. But the old man persisted in his claim. "You fellows don't know me. But the king would, I am sure," he said repeatedly. The king could easily understand that the old man was a learned scholar. The man suddenly saw him and asked, "O King, am I not the son of your mother's sister?" "You are, indeed, Please come in!" replied the king.
The gate-keepers and the noblemen stood stunned. With a smile of victory, the old man went in. The king welcomed him in the court and asked, "How are you, my cousin?" "My mansion is in a dilapidated condition. The light that burnt within is now burning brighter, but the shadow it casts is quite gloomy. All of my thirty-two servants have deserted me, one after another. Two assistants were enough beforehand, but now I have employed the third one. The two friends who were near have gone far; two who were far have come nearer," stated the old man. "I see, Now you tell me, what can I do for you?" asked the king affectionately. "Well, I heard that you are soon going out on an expedition to Ceylon. If you allow me to lead your party, you can proceed without the help of a ship!" replied the old man. The king laughed and gave ten thousand coins to the old man and said, "Better I take away your power to dry up the sea!" The old man too laughed and expressing his gratitude to the king, left the court. The courtiers looked amazed.
After a while, one of them ventured to say, "My lord, we never knew that you had such a cousin. It has been difficult for us to follow what transpired between you and the visitor. Will you kindly explain?" The king said, "The witty visitor claimed to be my cousin because, being a scholar, he considered himself a son of the goddess of knowledge. For my wealth, I was considered the son of goddess wealth. Both of them being popularly known as sisters, we were cousins! "His mansion was his body which had grown old. By light, he meant his enlightenment. Although he had grown more enlightened within with age, the same age cast a gloom on his external appearance. The thirty-two servants were his teeth which were all gone! The two assistants were his two legs and the third one he had to appoint newly was the walking stick. Two friends who were near had gone far meant his ears could not record sound properly. One has to shout as if speaking from far to enable him to hear. The two friends who were far have come nearer means his eyes which could see objects at far can now see only things at the close." "What is meant by his capacity to dry up the sea?" asked an amused courtier. "Does not a popular proverb say that if an unlucky fellow goes for water even to the sea, the sea would dry up? The moment I gave him the wealth, he was no more unlucky. He lost his capacity to dry up the sea!" explained the king.
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