A tale told by Swami Ram

An emperor once summoned a governor (Qazi) to test his religious knowledge. The Qazi had some religious pretentions which helped him to keep up a facade of being a highly ethical and self righteous man. The emperor was no scholar himself but he was egged on into this inquiry by a jealous competitor who wanted to prove the incompetence of the Qazi and thus gain favour with the emperor. The king asked, “Tell me, which direction does God face? Where does God sit? What does He eat? And what does he do?”

In a stick and carrot treatment he told the Qazi that if his answers satisfied the king he would be elevated, if not ,then he would be stripped of his portfolio. The wily Qazi flattered the king into granting him a week to answer.

The week passed sleeplessly with no answers, as this man was a religious imposter.! He then pretended to be sick to ask for more time. His faithful servant (Pajee ) was very disturbed with his master’s condition. After his repeated pleadings, his master finally told him of his distress. This Pajee was the disciple of a learned vedantic guru, and so he begged his master to let him go and answer on his behalf . With no alternative, he sent his servant. On approaching the king, Pajee said, “Oh! king, the one who asks is a pupil and he who answers is the teacher. If you are a true musalmaan you must obey the sacred scriptures. I must have the seat of honour, your throne, and you must sit below me. The king gave his throne and some kingly garments to the Pajee and sat down at his feet ,saying, “This is on condition that if your answers do not satisfy me, I shall kill you.” The Pajee agreed.

To be continued...

Prarthna Saran, President Chinmaya Mission Delhi. Email: prarthnasaran@gmail.com