Once upon a time, in the prosperous kingdom of Chandrapur, lived King Vikram. While he was a kind ruler, he had one significant flaw: he had never learned to read or write. As a child, he had preferred playing in the gardens to studying in the classroom, and he grew into a man who lacked wisdom and understanding.
Because the King was wealthy and easily flattered, many poets flocked to his court. They would sing exaggerated songs about his bravery and intelligence, even though he was often quite clueless. To show his appreciation, the King made a grand promise: "For every poem brought to my court, I shall reward the poet with gold equal to the weight of their manuscript."
This led to a flood of poets, but it also meant the royal treasury was draining rapidly. The King's wise minister, Kavi, realized that the King's lack of education was leading the kingdom toward ruin.
One sunny afternoon, Kavi approached the throne. "Your Majesty," he said with a bow, "I have composed a magnificent epic dedicated solely to your greatness. I wish to present it to you today."
The King beamed with pride. "That is wonderful, Kavi! Bring it here at once, and you shall receive gold as heavy as the poem itself!"
Kavi smiled calmly. "Your Majesty, I did not write this poem on parchment or leaves. I felt your glory was too grand for such fragile things. Instead, I have carved your praises into the massive granite rock at the edge of the palace gardens."
The King, eager to see his glory, followed Kavi to the garden. There stood a colossal, heavy boulder, etched with beautiful inscriptions. "Since I promised gold equal to the weight of the poem," Kavi said, "may I now collect my reward from this rock?"
The King stared at the mountain of stone. He realized that if he were to fulfill his promise, he would have to give away every single coin in the kingdom and still fall short. In that moment of realization, the weight of his ignorance felt heavier than the stone itself. He understood that his lack of learning had made him a target for deception.
Deeply humbled, King Vikram asked Kavi for guidance. He immediately appointed the finest scholars to his court and began his journey of learning. He realized that true wealth lies not in gold, but in the wisdom that helps one govern justly.
Moral
Knowledge is the greatest treasure; without it, even wealth can lead to ruin.
