A Tale of Business Decline and Rise
In the city of Vardhaman lived a skilled merchant named Vishal. When the king of that kingdom learned of his prowess, he appointed him as the administrator of the kingdom. Vishal's efficiency impressed everyone from the common people to the king himself. After some time, Vishal's daughter's marriage was arranged. To celebrate, he organized a grand feast, inviting everyone from the king to the commoners. A servant of the royal household also attended. Unintentionally, he sat in a chair reserved for the royal family. This angered Vishal, and in his anger, he ridiculed the servant and had him removed from the feast. The servant, humiliated, vowed to teach Vishal a lesson.
Days later, while cleaning the king's chambers, the servant found the king half-asleep. Taking advantage of the moment, the servant began muttering, "The audacity of that merchant, to treat the queen with disrespect!" The king awoke and asked, "Have you ever witnessed the merchant disrespecting the queen?" The servant immediately fell at the king's feet, begging for forgiveness, saying, "I couldn't sleep, so I was just muttering." The king said nothing, but a seed of doubt about the merchant began to grow in his mind.
The king, subsequently, restricted the merchant's access to the palace and reduced his authority. The next day, when the merchant attempted to enter the palace on business, the guards stopped him at the gate. The merchant was surprised. A royal servant, standing nearby, burst into laughter, telling the guards, "You don't know who you've stopped. This man is extremely influential and could have you removed from your post. He had me removed from his feast!" The merchant understood the servant's implication. He apologized to the servant and invited him to a feast at his home. Vishal treated the servant with utmost respect, acknowledging that his actions that day were wrong. The servant, humbled, responded, "Don't worry, I'll quickly restore your lost honour with the king."
The next day, as the king slept, the servant, while cleaning the chambers, began muttering again. "Oh, the king, how ravenous he must be, to eat kheer while bathing in the royal bathroom!" This woke the king, who angrily retorted, "You insolent servant, how dare you speak such things about me!" The servant fell at the king's feet, apologizing, "Your Majesty, I couldn't sleep properly and muttered nonsense." The king pondered, "If this servant could speak ill of me, then surely the merchant has also been spreading false rumors." The very next day, the king summoned the merchant and restored all his former authority.
The lesson from this tale is - one should not mock or disrespect others. We must treat everyone with respect. When we belittle others, we invite a day when we are belittled ourselves.
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