Sunday, June 1, 2008

Brainy Brother

In the land of Magadha lived a brahmin who performed all rituals very religiously. This pious brahmin had two sons. Both of them were highly intelligent and gifted with rare powers. One son could reveal the identity and the origin of a thing just by touching it or smelling it.

The second son was a very good at judging women. Just one look at a woman and he could correctly say what her temperament was and what her likes and dislikes were.

The king of Magadha on hearing about these two talented brothers, appointed them in his service. Both of them were very happy to work for the king.

One day two persons fighting over a precious pearl necklace came to the king to resolve the matter. One of them was quite fat. The king turned to the two talented brothers and asked the younger one, "Can you make out as to whom the pearl necklace really belongs to?" The younger brother sniffed at the hands of both the contenders and declared that the necklace belong to the fat person.

The fat person was overjoyed to hear this verdict "Salutations" he exclaimed, "this brahmin has rendered justice".

The other person also admitted that the necklace belong to the fat man. He said that they had come to test the young brahmin's talent.

The king was pleased to hear this. He gave rewards to the talented brothers.

It so happened that the ruler of a neighbouring country was an enemy of the king of Magadha. Under the pretext of seeking his friendship, this ruler sent a messenger to the king, inviting him to visit their country.

The Magadha king was perplexed about his invitation. He wanted to know the truth. He therefore ordered the two brothers, "The ruler who has sent me an invitation to visit him has been our enemy for a long time. So, please go to his country and find out why he was sent this invitation."

The two brahmin brothers obeyed the kings' orders. They went to the enemy country and after assessing the situation, returned to Magadh.

Reporting to the king, they said "Your Majesty! Your enemy seems to be good-natured, But he is very jealous of you. He may overthrow your kingdom or he may even kill you. Please be careful before accepting his friendship".

The king decided to be watchful.

The next day, the king had an invitation to dinner from the enemy ruler. As a precaution, the king took both the brothers with him.

When the king and his retinue reached the enemy's palace, they wee given a grand welcome. A feast had also been arranged for them. After the heavy dinner, the king wished to sleep and relax for a while. Immediately, he was shown into a royal bedroom.

The king was about to climb on to the bed and lie down. At that moment, the elder brother stopped him, "Your Majesty! Please wait. I feel that there is an unusual strand of hair in the pillow. It may hurt you".

The pillow as thoroughly searched and indeed! There was actually a strand of hair amidst the pillow cotton. It was very rough and seemed to be of some wild animal.

The younger brother smelt the hair and said, "This hair is poisonous. If it had pierced your neck, you would have died instantly".

When the king returned to his capital, he had the hair examined by the royal physician. The physician also declared that the hair had been smeared with some deadly poison.

Betal had come to the end of the story. But he had a question to ask Vikram. He wanted to know which of the two brothers was the wisest.

Betal had come to the end of the story. But he had a question to ask Vikram. He wanted to know which of the two brothers was the wisest.

Betal warned Vikram "Don't keep silent. If you do, you know the consequence." Vikram with a knowledgeable smile on his face said "Betal! All of us know that wisdom has no limits. Both the brothers were wise and talented. But amongst the two, the elder one was the wiser one".

"How can you say that?" asked Betal.

"Well", replied Vikram, "He had the capacity of indicating the presence of hair inside the pillow without even looking at it." The younger brother could identify the poison only through smell. Hence he elder brother is the most intelligent of he two. Betal agreed with Vikram. But he found another opportunity to slip out of Vikram's hands.
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