KRITIKA GURUNG SCORES 8.0 IN THE IELTS EXAMINATION

 

The sadhu who showed the country the truth

By Chhabi Subedi “Vijayi”

Once, in a very beautiful country, there lived a king who had only one son. Everyone in the kingdom knew that the prince had fallen into the wrong company and had developed many bad habits. The king had little faith that his son would ever rule the country properly. Moreover, the king had grown quite old. He therefore began thinking about giving up the throne, retreating to the forest, and spending the rest of his life in meditation and penance. 

Before doing so, however, he wanted to make sure that the people of his kingdom would be happy and prosperous under his son’s rule. He could not stop worrying about the future of his people. He had even decided to distribute his personal wealth among the people for the development of the country. 

One night, after thinking deeply about the matter, the king came up with an idea. He summoned his Finance Minister and gave him an order. “Minister, prepare a list of all the richest people in our country and bring it to me.” The king's order soon became the talk of the entire kingdom. Rumours spread that whoever ranked first on the list of the country's richest people would be given the highest honour by the king. 

The next morning, wealthy people from every corner of the kingdom began arriving at the palace. A long queue formed outside the royal court as everyone tried to register his name among the country's richest citizens. A poor Sadhu happened to hear about the announcement. He owned nothing except a small hut made of straw. But suddenly an idea flashed through his mind. He set fire to his hut and said to himself: “Why should I be any less than these rich people? I, too, will go to the palace and have my name registered among the wealthy.” With that, he joined the long queue. 

The wealthy men standing in line, however, refused to let the Sadhu move forward.

“What are you doing here, you poor man?” they mocked him. “You don't own even a single piece of property. Why have you come to register your name among the rich?”

But the Sadhu refused to give up. Again and again, he tried to move forward and join the queue of the wealthy. 

Several rich men insulted and abused him, but he merely smiled and continued moving toward the palace. Finally, he turned to them and said with a smile: “Why do you think there is such a great difference between you and me? We are all human beings. Perhaps you have a little more temporary wealth than I do. Introduce yourselves to one another and find out who among you is truly rich and who is poor.” 

The king, seated on the balcony of the palace, had been watching the entire scene. He called his guards and ordered them: “Bring that Sadhu to me immediately. Those wealthy men have no right to prevent him from registering his name. Make sure his name is entered on the list.” Thus, the Sadhu’s name was added to the list alongside those of thousands of wealthy people. 

The king then began questioning the rich men one after another. “Which is greater—knowledge or wealth?” The wealthy men answered almost unanimously: “Your Majesty, what use is knowledge without money? Nothing can be accomplished in life without wealth. Therefore, wealth is greater than knowledge. Knowledge is useless. If one has enough money, one can buy knowledge as well.” The king listened patiently. Then it was the Sadhu’s turn. The same question was put to him. 

“Your Majesty,” the Sadhu replied, “material wealth can never be greater than knowledge. We human beings are often blinded by our greed for money. True knowledge is the greatest wealth a human being can possess. 

“Knowledge makes a nation strong. It is knowledge that is necessary to guide the young men and women who will shape the future of the country. It is the blind pursuit of material wealth that has led many rich people's children to damage the environment. Because of their greed for wealth, the very Earth is now heading toward destruction.” 

After listening to the Sadhu, the king felt that he had finally understood something important. He then asked the Sadhu another question: “Do you really need wealth to survive?” 

“Yes, Your Majesty,” replied the Sadhu, “but only in a limited amount. I receive free oxygen from the air, and I have no need to buy it. I receive rainwater from the vast sky, and the sun shines upon me without charging me anything. 

“The Earth, which is like my mother, gives me flowers and fruits out of boundless love. If I have no knowledge, then I possess nothing. But if I possess knowledge and wisdom, the entire universe becomes mine. I can use the vast sky as my blanket. I can sleep peacefully in the lap of Mother Earth. I can make the majestic Himalayan mountains my pillow. 

The Sadhu continued: “I can turn the sea into ink and the forests into pens. I can study the chest of Mother Earth and write about what I discover. Tell me, Your Majesty, how much richer could I possibly become?“ Moreover, birds, animals, plants, insects, and countless other creatures have existed on this Earth for millions of years without money. Why, then, do human beings need so much money? 

“Why should a handful of extraordinarily wealthy people accumulate enormous fortunes merely to satisfy their temporary desires? Why should all the wealth of the rich be nationalised, Your Majesty, and why should those who have stolen public wealth be punished?” The Sadhu pleaded with the king. The king was deeply moved by what he had heard. The king immediately ordered his council of ministers: “Nationalise the property of everyone who has accumulated wealth illegally.” 

After hearing the order, the Sadhu became extremely happy. But then, while looking carefully at the Sadhu’s face, the king suddenly realised something. The sadhu standing before him was not an ordinary Sadhu. He was highly learned and well informed Sadhu. 

The king saw a secured future of his nation under the Sadhu’s rule. The king smiled and said: “From today onward, I entrust the true responsibility of this kingdom to you. Tomorrow morning, I shall leave for the forest and begin my penance.” Having said this, the king left the royal court.

WANT TO REPRODUCE THIS ARTICLE?

© 2026 READ 2B HAPPY. All rights reserved.

All text and images published on this blog (read2bhappy.blogspot.com) are the intellectual property of the blog owner unless otherwise stated. You are welcome to reproduce content for non-commercial, informational, or educational purposes only, provided you give appropriate credit by clearly stating the author's name and including a link back to the original post on this blog. I would appreciate a courtesy email notification at writerlbthapa@gmail.com when you share my work.