Ancient Wisdom: The Story of A True King
Legend has it that once upon a time there was a kingdom of monkeys in a forest. The king of the monkeys was very big, but also very good hearted and wise.
One day, the king was walking and noticed mango trees along the banks of a river. He also noticed a castle of people downstream. He then ordered the monkeys to gather all the mango fruit from those trees otherwise "it will be a disaster."
The monkeys did not understand the king's intention, but they obeyed his command anyway. All mango fruits were taken from trees with one exception. One of them was hidden behind a nest.
One day, the mango fruit ripened, fell into the river and was carried downstream, reaching the king of the people who was just taking a bath. He noticed the mango fruit and asked the accompanying prime minister what it was. The prime minister told him it was a "mango", a fruit with a wonderful taste.
The king then ordered the fruit to be cut into small pieces and gave a piece to each of his ministers. When he became convinced that it was not poisonous, he ate the rest of the mango and realized that it was indeed very tasty. He wanted more.
The Monkey Kingdom Was Devastated
The next day, the king of the people went with his troops into the forest to look for more such fruit. He found a lot of mango trees, but also a lot of monkeys. The king of men did not want to share the fruit with the monkeys, so he ordered them all killed. A massacre begun.
When the news reached the wise king of the monkeys, he commented: "This day has come ...".
Thousands of monkeys were followed all the way to the edge of the forest. The forest ended near a precipice, after which a bamboo grove began. Everything seemed lost. The monkey king noticed that if his subjects could reach the bamboo grove, they would be saved.
A True King
With his huge body, the monkey king formed a bridge over the precipice and thousands of monkeys stepped over him to reach the bamboo forest that provided them with security.
However, the help of the monkey king came at a price.
One of the monkeys did not like the king and took the opportunity to harm him. As she passed over the king's body, she thrust a spear into his heart. The king cried out in pain, but endured the torment until all his subjects were safely on the other side. Then he collapsed.
The king of men witnessed the whole scene. He was so impressed that he ordered the monkey king to be taken care of.
When he regained consciousness, the king of men asked him, "You are their king, why did you bother to die for them?"
The monkey king replied, "Because I am their king." Then he closed his eyes and died.
