The king of Valmiki Nagar wanted a clever minister to help him in governing the kingdom. He decided to hold a contest to find a shrewd and capable person for the post. Drumbeaters announced the contest. "The king will make him a minister whoever owns an animal that can lift the most weight!"
Hearing this, every man started to search for animals in the nearby forest. The day of the contest arrived, and many contenders came with their animals well fed and trained. The king surveyed the scene in front of him and asked the contestants to start exhibiting the skill of their animals.
The first contestant had brought a gorilla, which lifted a large boulder. There was a wry smile on the king's face. The next contestant came up with a buffalo pulling a cart full of huge stones. The king only got wild and said,"Torturing an innocent animal...you fool, get lost!" One after the other, the contestants came up to display the might of their animals. One contestant had come with an elephant. It uprooted a huge tree and threw it a long distance away. Yet the king was not impressed. Finally, a simple looking young villager came up and said,"Sire, I wish to try, too". An infuriated king merely nodded nonchalantly.
The young man brought out an ant and placed it on a table. Seeing this the onlookers burst out laughing"Ha, ha, ha...even the mighty elephant did not win and you have come up with this insect!"
The young man was unflustered and placed a dead beetle before the ant. The ant quickly caught hold of the beetle and tried to carry it away. But it wouldn't budge. Yet it tried again and again till it moved the beetle away. Even as the ant was carrying the beetle away, the young man created a wall of stones around it. The ant did not give up and carried the beetle up the wall. At last the king smiled and said,"You will be my minister".
The onlookers were not amused and felt they had been cheated."But your majesty, you saw with your own eyes that the elephant lifted the most weight?" the man who had brought the elephant protested.
The king said,"Yes, I agree, the elephant did lift a heavy tree. But then the ant lifted a weight ten times heavier than his own and moreover even when an obstacle came its way, it did not give up. If I make this young man my minister, he will recognize all those who work hard and keep my subjects happy. But you are all concerned with power and skill than reasoning. After all a sense of reasoning alone will make a man unbiased."
The young man was promptly made a minister.
Hearing this, every man started to search for animals in the nearby forest. The day of the contest arrived, and many contenders came with their animals well fed and trained. The king surveyed the scene in front of him and asked the contestants to start exhibiting the skill of their animals.
The first contestant had brought a gorilla, which lifted a large boulder. There was a wry smile on the king's face. The next contestant came up with a buffalo pulling a cart full of huge stones. The king only got wild and said,"Torturing an innocent animal...you fool, get lost!" One after the other, the contestants came up to display the might of their animals. One contestant had come with an elephant. It uprooted a huge tree and threw it a long distance away. Yet the king was not impressed. Finally, a simple looking young villager came up and said,"Sire, I wish to try, too". An infuriated king merely nodded nonchalantly.
The young man brought out an ant and placed it on a table. Seeing this the onlookers burst out laughing"Ha, ha, ha...even the mighty elephant did not win and you have come up with this insect!"
The young man was unflustered and placed a dead beetle before the ant. The ant quickly caught hold of the beetle and tried to carry it away. But it wouldn't budge. Yet it tried again and again till it moved the beetle away. Even as the ant was carrying the beetle away, the young man created a wall of stones around it. The ant did not give up and carried the beetle up the wall. At last the king smiled and said,"You will be my minister".
The onlookers were not amused and felt they had been cheated."But your majesty, you saw with your own eyes that the elephant lifted the most weight?" the man who had brought the elephant protested.
The king said,"Yes, I agree, the elephant did lift a heavy tree. But then the ant lifted a weight ten times heavier than his own and moreover even when an obstacle came its way, it did not give up. If I make this young man my minister, he will recognize all those who work hard and keep my subjects happy. But you are all concerned with power and skill than reasoning. After all a sense of reasoning alone will make a man unbiased."
The young man was promptly made a minister.
This king should have been my project manager.
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