A certain badshah convened masters and craftsmen from all over his state and said:
- You know what each thing is needed for, and you can determine its price. So tell me - is the price too high for me? Just look, don't make a mistake. I will punish you severely for a mistake.
The masters listened to the badshah’s order and began to spin. No one hoped to save their life and honor.
Among those masters there was one smart old man who had seen a lot in his lifetime. And so he said to his comrades:
- Take me to His Majesty the Badshah. I will tell you how great his price is and save your honor.
Then the masters brought the old man to the badshah and reported:
“This old man knows the value of His Majesty the Badshah, God’s viceroy on earth.”
“Report to us everything as it is,” the Badshah ordered, “don’t decrease or add to it.” Otherwise you will be severely punished!
The old man bowed and said:
- The price of the badshah, the refuge of the world, is a broken penny!
The badshah heard what his price was and asked the old man:
- How so? Why is a badshah like me worth only a penny?
The old man replied:
- When a person buys a slave, he forces this slave to do all sorts of work, necessary and unnecessary, and does nothing himself. But if anyone buys your majesty, he will not receive the slightest benefit from this purchase. It is not you who will serve him, but he who will serve you. Moreover, you will have to please and honor you in every possible way, but you will be of no use.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru