Fakir’s Advice: Peace or Prosperity? A Thoughtful Story

Thoughtful Stories

Once, a King suddenly fell ill. Royal doctors treated him, but he could not be cured. Incidentally, a Fakir from a far flung area came to his kingdom during the period. He paid a visit to the King. He said to the King, “O King! You are suffering from mental illness not a physical one.” The King agreed with the Fakir and said, “I am worried, tensed, depressed and frustrated all the time. This is my illness. Can you relieve me of this illness?”

The Fakir said, “O King, if you desire to be cured, then ask all your soldiers, councilors and ministers to find a successful person, who is also calm and sufficiently prosperous and bring him here. If you are able to find such a person, his touch would cure you of your disease and make you healthy.”

All the soldiers, councilors and ministers of the King returned empty handed. In spite of their best efforts, they were unable to find a person who could claim to be mentally satisfied.

Then, the Fakir said, “O King! I knew that it would be difficult to find a person, who is calm and also successful and prosperous. You cannot find a single person with all these virtues. Only one of these virtues could be attained.

O king! Now you decide what you want in your life? You want peace or prosperity? The path of peace will lead to God, whereas, the path of prosperity will bring you worldly pleasure and licentiousness. If you want to follow the path to God, you will have to renounce your love for wealth. If you want to tread the prosperity path, you will have to give up peace. Both these things cannot stay together.” The King decided to renounce the desire for wealth.

(Story taken from Evoking Awakening- collection of short motivational stories)

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