Once upon a time, in the kingdom of Benares, a wise and honest royal price maker served the king with integrity and fairness. However, the king, driven by greed, desired greater profits and dismissed the honorable price maker in favor of a young man who seemed more willing to bend the rules.
The new price maker, eager to please the king at any cost, set ridiculously low buying prices and exorbitant selling prices, bringing the king immense wealth. However, this unjust practice left the rest of the kingdom, including the king’s ministers and ordinary citizens, in discontent.
The turning point came when a horse merchant arrived in Benares with a herd of 500 horses. The king, intent on furthering his wealth, asked the new price maker to set a value for the entire herd. To please the king, the price maker declared that the entire herd was worth no more than one cup of rice.
The horse merchant, understandably upset, sought the counsel of the former price maker, known for his fairness. The wise old minister advised the merchant to offer a valuable gift to the new price maker, convincing him to declare the value of one cup of rice in the presence of the king.
Following this advice, the merchant approached the new price maker with a valuable gift, and the price maker, pleased with the offering, agreed to explain the value of one cup of rice in front of the king. The merchant then asked him to convince the king of the true value of one cup of rice.
The foolish price maker, driven by a desire to please both the king and the merchant, declared in a grand manner that one cup of rice was worth the entire city of Benares, including the king’s harem and all its suburbs—a statement that led to uproarious laughter in the royal court.
The king, humbled by the laughter of his court and the wisdom of his ministers, realized the folly of his decisions. He reinstated the former price maker to his official position and accepted a fair price for the herd of horses.
The moral of the story is a powerful lesson in the consequences of trying to please everyone at the expense of fairness and honesty. In life, being true to oneself and treating others with equality and integrity is the path to genuine success and prosperity. So, stay true to your principles, treat others with fairness, and let honesty guide your decisions. In the end, it’s authenticity and truth that lead to lasting success and happiness.