On a cold winter day a king and his minister took a walk
along the lake. A thought came to the minister that a man would do anything for
money. He expressed his feelings to the king. The king then put his finger into
the lake and immediately removed it because he shivered with cold.
The king said “I don’t think a man would spend an entire
night in the cold water of this lake for money.”
The minister replied “I am sure I can find such a person.”
The king then challenged the minister into finding such a
person and said that he would reward the person with a thousand gold coins.
The minister searched far and wide until he found a poor man
who was desperate enough to accept the challenge. The poor man entered the lake
and the king had guards posted near him to make sure that he really did as
promised.
The next morning the guards took the poor man to the king.
The king asked the poor man if he had indeed spent the night in the lake. The
poor man replied that he had. The king then asked the poor man how he managed
to spend the night in the lake.
The poor man replied that there was a street lamp nearby and
he kept his attention affixed on the lamp and away from the cold. The king then
said that there would be no reward as the poor man had survived the night in
the lake by the warmth of the street lamp. The poor man went to the minister
for help.
The next day, the minister did not go to court. The king
wondering where he was and sent a messenger to his home. The messenger came
back saying that the minister would come once his rice was cooked. The king
waited hours but the minister did not come. Finally the king decided to go to the
minister’s house and see what he was up to.
He found the minister sitting on the floor near some burning
twigs and a bowl filled with rice hanging five feet above the fire. The king
and his attendants couldn't help but laugh.
Akbar then said to the minister “How can the rice be cooked
if it so far away from the fire?”
The minister answered “The same way the poor man received
heat from a street lamp that was more than a furlong away.”
The king understood his mistake and gave the poor man his
reward.
Moral: Try to understand things before making any decision.
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