There was a king who ruled a kingdom. He was a very learned man but had never understood the meaning of one thing; SACRIFICE. He once asked his ministers to fins out the true meaning of the word, sacrifice and announced that whosoever will answer him satisfactorily will be suitably rewarded. So went out all the ministers to find the answer to this question.
Not too long after this incident that they all came back and told the king their answers. The King listened to all their answers but was not amused. He was not satisfied. And he openly showed his dissatisfaction. Finally one minister garnered enough courage and told him that there lives a hermit outside his kingdom's forest cover who is learned and will be able to answer him.
Hearing this the King sent one of his minister to bring the hermit to his palace. When the minister reached the hermit the hermit refused to come to the palace. Instead he asked the minister to send the king to his cottage. So the king went to the hermit's cottage.
King: O learned man, do tell me the real meaning of sacrifice. Is it to kill animals and gift it to gods? Or is it to give up all that a man has and be a hermit like you?
Hermit: O king, I will answer your question but for that I need to go to your palace. Take me there and let me live there for some time and then I will answer your question.
So the king agreed and took the hermit to his palace. There the Hermit started to enjoy all the pleasures of the palace. Good food, good place to bath, beautiful orchards full of fruits and what not. Days went by and the hermit didn't say a word to the king. Days became weeks and weeks became months but the hermit didn't say a word to the king. On the other hand the king was becoming impatient. He started to wonder whether the hermit was really any learned person or was he making a fool of the king?
One day the king finally llost his patience and called upon the hermit. He said, "O learned hermit i have been watching you ever since you came here. You have been enjoying the food and comfort of the palace just like anyone else would do. It doesn't seem that you are a hermit, a recluse a sannyasi. You neither told me the answer to my question nor you told me that you have had enough and also it seems that you don't want to leave this place. I am doubtful of all this."
On hearing all this the hermit smiled and spoke," O King, I have been waiting for this day when you will ask me this. Thanks for asking. It is time for me to go."
The King said," But what about the answer to my question?"
Hermit, " For that you will have to come with me to my cottage."
The King agreed and went with the Hermit to his cottage.
When they reached the cottage the hermit said. "O Dear King, for so many months I lived at your palace and enjoyed all the comforts. Now it is my turn to return the favor. So please give me the pleasure of serving you. Please stay at my cottage for the next three days."
On hearing this the king startled and said, "No it is not possible. I can't live here in this small cottage where you eat things that you get from charity of other people. I can't possibly sleep on the floor and surely can't bath in the nearby pond. I have lived in the palace and it is not possible for me to come and live here. Moreover I have an entire kingdom to look for so I can't come".
The hermit smiled and replied. " See king. I stayed all my life in this cottage and then I spent all these months in your palace. And now I am back to my cottage and I am feeling as good as I always was. I didn't get addicted to this cottage or your palace. Both are equal for me. But you couldn't possibly stay in this cottage for even one full day because you cannot give up the comforts of your palace. You are addicted to it. What I can do you can't!!!! This is sacrifice. I am not addicted to anything. My senses are well within my control. I have given up on the pair of good and bad. For me everything is same. This is the meaning of sacrifice."
Not too long after this incident that they all came back and told the king their answers. The King listened to all their answers but was not amused. He was not satisfied. And he openly showed his dissatisfaction. Finally one minister garnered enough courage and told him that there lives a hermit outside his kingdom's forest cover who is learned and will be able to answer him.
Hearing this the King sent one of his minister to bring the hermit to his palace. When the minister reached the hermit the hermit refused to come to the palace. Instead he asked the minister to send the king to his cottage. So the king went to the hermit's cottage.
King: O learned man, do tell me the real meaning of sacrifice. Is it to kill animals and gift it to gods? Or is it to give up all that a man has and be a hermit like you?
Hermit: O king, I will answer your question but for that I need to go to your palace. Take me there and let me live there for some time and then I will answer your question.
So the king agreed and took the hermit to his palace. There the Hermit started to enjoy all the pleasures of the palace. Good food, good place to bath, beautiful orchards full of fruits and what not. Days went by and the hermit didn't say a word to the king. Days became weeks and weeks became months but the hermit didn't say a word to the king. On the other hand the king was becoming impatient. He started to wonder whether the hermit was really any learned person or was he making a fool of the king?
One day the king finally llost his patience and called upon the hermit. He said, "O learned hermit i have been watching you ever since you came here. You have been enjoying the food and comfort of the palace just like anyone else would do. It doesn't seem that you are a hermit, a recluse a sannyasi. You neither told me the answer to my question nor you told me that you have had enough and also it seems that you don't want to leave this place. I am doubtful of all this."
On hearing all this the hermit smiled and spoke," O King, I have been waiting for this day when you will ask me this. Thanks for asking. It is time for me to go."
The King said," But what about the answer to my question?"
Hermit, " For that you will have to come with me to my cottage."
The King agreed and went with the Hermit to his cottage.
When they reached the cottage the hermit said. "O Dear King, for so many months I lived at your palace and enjoyed all the comforts. Now it is my turn to return the favor. So please give me the pleasure of serving you. Please stay at my cottage for the next three days."
On hearing this the king startled and said, "No it is not possible. I can't live here in this small cottage where you eat things that you get from charity of other people. I can't possibly sleep on the floor and surely can't bath in the nearby pond. I have lived in the palace and it is not possible for me to come and live here. Moreover I have an entire kingdom to look for so I can't come".
The hermit smiled and replied. " See king. I stayed all my life in this cottage and then I spent all these months in your palace. And now I am back to my cottage and I am feeling as good as I always was. I didn't get addicted to this cottage or your palace. Both are equal for me. But you couldn't possibly stay in this cottage for even one full day because you cannot give up the comforts of your palace. You are addicted to it. What I can do you can't!!!! This is sacrifice. I am not addicted to anything. My senses are well within my control. I have given up on the pair of good and bad. For me everything is same. This is the meaning of sacrifice."
