065 - About the difference between city gates and mouths

There once lived an Eastern King whose wisdom illuminated the land like a sun, whose cleverness was surpassed by no one, and whose wealth far exceeded that of everyone else.

One day a wazir came to him with an unhappy face.

"Great Sultan, you are the wisest, greatest, and mightiest man in our land," he said. "You are lord over life and death. But what did I hear as I was travelling through the land? Everywhere the people praise you. But some people spoke very badly of you. They made jokes and complained about your wise decisions. How does it happen, you most mighty of all the mighty, that such insubordination exists in your realm."

The sultan smiled indulgently and answered, "Like every man in my kingdom, you know what I have accomplished for all of you. Seven lands are under my control. Under my rule, seven lands have achieved progress and prosperity. In seven lands, people love me because of my justice. You are certainly right. I can do many things.

I can have the gigantic gates of my cities closed. But there is one thing I can't do. I cannot shut the mouths of my subjects. It is not really a question of what some people say bad about me. What is really important is that I do good."

source: Stories from Here and There, Ekalavya Education Foundation - By: Sunil Handa - http://www.eklavya.org/storyhere.html