गड़रिया बना महामंत्री
Summary
King Samar Singh of Ujjain was troubled by his chief minister, Chaturbhuj, who was elderly but lacked wisdom and offered baseless arguments. The king wanted a wise and efficient assistant but did not wish to dismiss Chaturbhuj. Seeking a solution, he visited the royal sage Vedkant at his ashram. The sage advised the king to send seven difficult questions to every village and town, with a threat of a ten thousand gold coin fine if correct answers were not provided within seven days. The sage explained that this would reveal any truly wise person in the kingdom who could solve the problems. The king followed the advice, but as days passed, no correct answers arrived, and fines accumulated. On the final evening, a guard announced that the headman of Bhadrapur village had brought a young shepherd who claimed to be able to answer all the questions. The king was skeptical but questioned the shepherd. The shepherd correctly answered that goat droppings are round due to air, that the stem and upper part of a peepal leaf are equal, that a squirrel has equal black and white stripes and its body and tail are equal, and that a king has five fathers: the king, Kubera, a Chandala, a thief, and a scorpion, explaining each. Impressed, the king tested the shepherd further with three more tasks. The shepherd built a pavilion over a stone slab by digging around it and placing pillars. He kept a goat's weight constant by feeding it well while tying it near a wolf's lair, so fear prevented weight gain. He made a rooster aggressive by placing a mirror before it. The king then appointed the shepherd as his personal assistant and returned all fines to the villagers.
Conclusion
The story illustrates that wisdom and competence can emerge from the most unassuming backgrounds, challenging conventional hierarchies. The king’s initial despair over finding a capable advisor is resolved not through elite circles but through a humble shepherd, whose practical intelligence solves every riddle. This outcome underscores the value of merit over status, as the shepherd’s success saves the villagers from unjust fines and earns him a royal position. The narrative also critiques the king’s flawed initial approach—relying on punishment rather than opportunity—and shows that true problem-solving requires creative, grounded thinking. Ultimately, the tale promotes a message of inclusivity and fairness, suggesting that effective governance depends on recognizing talent wherever it appears, and that even complex challenges can yield to simple, thoughtful solutions when approached without prejudice.