Pt Ram Krishan Sharma
There was a king in South India. One day he went hunting and lost his way. It was getting late and he was feeling the pangs of hunger and thirst. Just then he saw a woodcutter busy felling trees in the forest. He was chopping the branches of one of them when the king approached him and said, “Brother! I am hungry as well as thirsty. Have you anything to eat? ”The woodcutter replied, “Yes, I have. Please come and sit down here. There is a well nearby and I shall fetch water from it. Till then, you may take this bread.” The king took the food and drank water brought by the woodcutter. After taking a little rest, he said, “I am the king of such and such kingdom and have lost my way.”The woodcutter showed him the way. The king said, “You have helped me in my hour of need. If you need my help any time, please come to me and I shall surely help you.” The woodcutter saluted the king and the latter left.
With the passage of time, gradually all the trees of the forest which the woodcutter used to cut and sell after turning them into charcoal were used up. Now the question arose as to how he should earn his living and by what means? He felt very much depressed. In such a dejected state of mind he went to the king for help.
The king said, “Well, brother why are you looking so sad?” The woodcutter replied, “The forest from which I used to cut wood is no more and I have no other means of livelihood. I have, therefore, come to you for help. If I get another forest, I shall be able to carry on my livelihood.” The king said, “This will be done. Don’t worry.” After some consultation with the courtiers the king decided that the royal forest of sandal trees situated south of the city should be given to the woodcutter so that he would no longer remain poor.
One day the king while sitting in his palace, happened to think of the woodcutter, and was glad at the thought that the woodcutter must surely have become rich. He, therefore, wanted to see him and went out with his ministers to the forest which had been given to the woodcutter. But there was no forest, nor any sandalwood tree. The king got perturbed and said to his ministers. “Oh! Where is that forest which was given to the woodcutter? It must be at some other place and you have brought me to a wrong place.” The ministers looked towards the officers and later turned to the documents. After scrutinising them they said, “Your Majesty! The forest existed at this very place.” The king said, “If so, where has it gone and where is the woodcutter?” After some search some sandalwood trees were discovered at some distance and the woodcutter was sitting behind them, looking very sad, dejected and lost in thoughts. The king approached him and asked “Oh! Why are you worried now?” The woodcutter saluted him and replied, “Your Majesty! I have passed so many years comfortably due to your kindness, but only a few trees are left. I am worried as to what I will do thereafter.” The king remarked in astonishment, “There are only a few trees left! What have you done to the rest of them?” The woodcutter replied, “Daily I cut the wood, turn it into charcoal and sell it in the bazaar. The price of charcoal is higher than that of wood.” The king said painfully, “Oh! Unfortunate man! What have you done? This is sandalwood. Why have you burnt it and turned it into charcoal?”
The woodcutter asked, “What is sandalwood?” The king replied, “It would have been better if you had known it earlier. Now just cut a piece of sandalwood about two or three feet in my presence and take it to the bazaar. Do not make charcoal out of it.” The woodcutter did accordingly. A businessman seeing that it was a piece of sandalwood, and the woodcutter was a rustic fellow asked him, “What would you take for this? The woodcutter in return inquired “What will you give me for it?” The businessman said, “One rupee.” The businessman got non-plussed and said, “Take four rupees.” The woodcutter exclaimed in astonishment, “Well four rupees.” Standing at some distance was another businessman who was watching this deal. He thought that the first businessman was trying to purchase a precious article at such a low price and offered ten rupees. When the woodcutter heard the offer of ten rupees, he held his head in both hands, sat down and began to weep bitterly, because he realised how costly the wood he had been burning for charcoal was, and what a tremendous loss he had incurred in that way.
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