KING TOO IS A BEGGAR – STORY
All the people – from the king to the beggars are longing for wealth. This story explains this nicely.
When Akbar was Emperor of Delhi there lived a hermit in a hut in the forest. Many people visited the holy man.
At one time he felt a great desire to entertain his visitors.
But how could he do so without money? So he decided to go to the Emperor for help, for the gate of Akbar’s palace was always open to holy men.
The hermit entered the palace while the Emperor was at his daily devotions and took a seat in a corner of the room.
He heard the Emperor conclude his worship with the prayer:
‘O God, give me money; give me riches’, and so on and so forth.
When the hermit heard this he was about to leave the prayer hall; but the Emperor signed to him to wait.
When the prayer was over, Akbar said to him:
‘You came to see me; how is it that you were about to leave without saying anything to me?’
‘Your Majesty need not trouble yourself about it’, answered the hermit. ‘I must leave now.’
When the Emperor insisted, the hermit said:
‘Many people visit my hut, and so I came here to ask you for some money.’
‘Then’, said Akbar, ‘why were you going away without speaking to me?’
The hermit replied:
‘I found that you too were a beggar; you too prayed to God for money and riches. Thereupon I said to myself, “Why should I beg of a beggar? If I must beg, let me beg of God.”
MORAL:
So, whether he is a beggar or a king, everyone has a desire for more wealth. No one cares for his own Self development.
(Goddess Katyayani – Story! READ HERE!)