The king offered his minister half of his kingdom in exchange for three conditions. What I want to convey through this post is that the attempt and courage to learn from every experience is a valuable lesson in life. The king’s mood was quite good; he turned towards the young minister with a smile and asked, “What is the biggest wish of your life?” The minister blushed, lowered his head, and replied with humility, “Your Majesty, you are the owner of the most beautiful kingdom in the world. Whenever I see this kingdom, a desire arises in my heart. If I had the tenth part of it, I would be the luckiest person in the world.”
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The king chuckled and said, “Don’t be shy; just tell me your biggest wish.” The minister, kneeling down, hesitantly said, “Your Majesty, in all honesty, if I were given half of your kingdom, I would be the luckiest person in the world.” The king laughed and said, “If I were to give you half of my kingdom, would you?” The minister, looking up in surprise, replied hesitantly, “Your Majesty, how is that possible? I could never be so fortunate.”
Immediately, the king summoned the secretary and ordered him to write two commands. In the first command, the king granted half of his kingdom to the young minister. In the second command, the king ordered the minister’s head to be chopped off. The minister was bewildered by the commands. The king stamped the commands with his seal and looked into the minister’s eyes, saying, “You have thirty days. In these thirty days, you must find answers to only three questions. If you succeed, the second command will be revoked, and you will receive half of the kingdom. However, if you fail, consider the first command nullified, and your head will roll as per the second command.”
The minister was in shock, and the king continued, “You have thirty days; you must search for answers to only three questions. If you succeed, my second command will be revoked, and you will be the owner of half the kingdom. But if you fail, the first command will be considered null, and your head will be severed according to the second command.” The minister was left astonished by the king’s unexpected twist.
After that, the king said, “Write down my three questions.” The minister began writing. The king instructed, “The first question: What is the biggest truth in a person’s life?” The minister paused and then answered, “The second question: What is the greatest betrayal in a person’s life?” He paused again and continued, “The third question: What is the biggest weakness in a person’s life?”
The king, after this, clapped his hands, and a loud voice proclaimed, “Your time begins now.” The minister, now burdened with the challenge, left the court. He gathered the wisest, literary minds, thinkers, and intellectuals from all over the country. They debated all night but couldn’t come up with a consensus on the first question. The next day, the minister increased the gathering of scholars, but the result remained the same. He continued this in cities and villages across the country, but no satisfying answer emerged.
Frustrated, the minister raised the question throughout the entire nation. Observing the poor living conditions, he encountered a beggar who was eating dry bread and dipping it in water. A dog beside him was lapping up the milk. The beggar, witnessing the minister’s plight, laughed and said, “My lord, I will answer your first two questions for free. But for the third, you must pay the price.”
The minister, now intrigued, asked, “How did you figure it out? Who am I, and what is my problem?” The beggar took out a royal robe from under the rags, revealing the attire worn by the king’s closest ministers. He said, “I, too, was once a minister of this kingdom. I made the mistake of challenging the king, just like you did. See the consequences.”
The beggar continued, “Okay, you’ve got two questions for free. The biggest truth in a person’s life is death. No matter who you are or what you have, you can’t escape it. Now, for the second question: the greatest betrayal in a person’s life is considering life to be permanent. Every person falls into this betrayal.”
The minister, now enlightened, asked eagerly, “What about the third question? What is the biggest weakness in a person’s life?” The beggar smiled and said, “The biggest weakness is being forced to drink the milk of a dog’s deception.”
The minister, contemplating the profound answers, understood the beggar’s words. He realized that life’s biggest truth is death, and its greatest betrayal is considering it permanent. The beggar’s words became the key to the minister’s success. The next day, he presented himself at the royal court. The king, seeing the minister’s puzzled face, asked, “Can you answer my questions?”
The minister, confident and composed, responded, “The biggest truth in a person’s life is death. The greatest betrayal is thinking that life is permanent. The biggest weakness is being forced to drink the milk of a dog’s deception.” The king, astonished and impressed, revoked the second command. The minister was not only saved but also granted half of the kingdom.
In the end, the minister addressed the gathering, “My people, the biggest weakness in life is falling into the trap of deception. We must not be blinded by false promises or misguided trust. The dog’s deception symbolizes life’s illusions, and we must be wary of them. Life’s truths are evident in facing mortality and understanding the impermanence of our existence.”
And so, the minister, having learned valuable lessons from the challenges posed by the king, ruled wisely and shared the profound wisdom he gained with his people.