The king took the fruit and inside his mind the king made a vow that if Agni did not appear to receive this fruit, then the king would strike off his own head instead of offering another fruit.
The king then offered the fruit into the sacrificial fire.
The man was stunned when Agni appeared from the Fire.
Agni was pleased with the penance and asked the king what he wanted.
The king wanted nothing for himself and he said that he had performed this for the other man and wanted the Fire God to give the other man the inexhaustible wealth that the other man wanted as the fruit of this sacrifice.
The Fire God happily granted the boon of the king and he also added that the king’s treasure would also never get exhausted.
After that the other man fell on the feet of Agni. “My lord! I have performed this penance for so many years. But you have never appeared before me. The king has just returned from hunting. He has not even cleaned himself properly before performing this penance. How is it that you are pleased with what the king has done and not with what I have been doing for so many years?”
Agni smiled at the other man. “The intensity that the king has was what dragged me here this instant. The king had mentally promised to himself that if I did not appear before him he would strike off his own head. Though your mind is slow and sure it does not have the intensity and clarity that the king's mind has. That conviction of the king was what brought me here.”
Adapted from the Katha Sarith Sagara
No comments:
Post a Comment