There was once a king who was so cruel
and unjust that his subjects yearned for his death or dethronement.
However, one day he surprised them all by announcing that he had decided
to turn over a new leaf.
“No more cruelty, no more injustice,” he
promised, and he was as good as his word. He became known as the
‘Gentle Monarch’. Months after his transformation one of his ministers
plucked up enough courage to ask him what had brought about his change
of heart.
And the king answered, “As I was
galloping through my forests I caught sight of a fox being chased by a
hound. The fox escaped into his hole but not before the hound had bitten
into its leg and lamed it for life. Later I rode into a village and saw
the same hound there. It was barking at a man. Even as I watched, the
man picked up a huge stone and flung it at the dog, breaking its leg.
The man had not gone far when he was kicked by a horse. His knee was
shattered and he fell to the ground, disabled for life. The horse began
to run but it fell into a hole and broke its leg. Reflecting on all that
had happened, I thought: ‘Evil begets evil. If I continue in my evil
ways, I will surely be overtaken by evil’. So I decided to change”.
The minister went away convinced that
the time was ripe to overthrow the king and seize the throne. Immersed
in thought, he did not see the steps in front of him and fell, breaking
his neck.
Moral: Cycle of Deeds always gives us back what we give to others. If
we do good to others, our good will happen, If we do bad to others, our
turn will also come.
