Story On Humility

Once upon a time, a king was hunting in a forest.

He got separated from his retinue and started wandering about alone.

He had to get out of the forest.

After some time, he started feeling terribly hungry and tired.

Suddenly, he saw a sage sitting and meditating under a tree.

The king approached him, prostrated before him and in a humble voice said: Oh! revered Lord, I am hungry and tired.

Can you please give me something to eat.

The sage did not even open his eyes but said: the king of this country is very wise, just and honest.

You can pick up whatever you want and eat.

It will taste sweet and nice because of his qualities.

The king looked around.

He could see only a neem tree and some bitter gourd.

He plucked some leaves from the neem tree, some bitter gourd and started chewing them.

They tasted so sweet and nice.

In fact, the king had never tasted anything so good before.

His hunger was satisfied.

In some time, he was able to find the way out of the forest and reached back his palace.

What the sage told about him kept on popping up in his mind.

I am a wise king.

I am a just king.

Even sages are praising me.

He started feeling proud about himself.

This pride turned into arrogance soon.

He couldn’t keep the incident to himself.

He wanted to tell the world how great a king he was, that even bitter gourd tasted sweet in his country.

One day, he invited the kings of all the neighbouring countries for a grand feast.

He sent his servants to the forest and brought the bitter gourds and neem leaves from near the Sage’s ashrama.

He made his chef to prepare a dish out of them.

When the dish was served, the guests just couldn’t take it.

It tasted so bitter.
From their facial expressions, the king realized that something had gone wrong.

The dish was taken away from the table.

The king was puzzled.

As soon as they all left, he mounted his horse and sped towards the forest.

He went and asked the sage: Oh! Lord, the other day when I had come here, these bitter gourds and neem leaves tasted so sweet and nice.

But now, the same bitter gourds and neem leaves are tasting so bitter.

I don’t understand, why is this so?

The sage thought for a moment and said: the other day when you came here, you were humble because of which you were also a just and honest king.

Everyone will have good experience only when such kings rule the country.

But now, arrogance has got into your head.

You are more interested in showing off your greatness.

Your qualities are gone.

You are no longer just and honest.

Your wisdom also has started suffering.

Now you have become like any other king.

That’s why bitter gourds and neem leaves have started tasting like how they should.

The king was humbled.

He mended his ways.

Humility is a very important quality.

The more you grow in your life, the more you achieve, make sure that you never lose your humility.

Pride and arrogance have no place in a wise and noble man’s life.