The One-Hundredth Prince: Obedience to a Wise Teacher
There once was a king who had one hundred sons. Prince Gamani, who was one hundredth in age, was the youngest. He was very enthusiastic, kind, and patient.
The teachers were sent to teach the princes all. Prince Gamani was fortunate enough to have the best teacher, despite being one hundredth in line for the throne. He was the most knowledgeable and wisest of them all. Prince Gamani, who liked, respected, and obeyed him, thought of him as a father figure.
Each educated prince was traditionally assigned to a different province back then. He was there to advance the nation and assist the populace. When Prince Gamani was old enough, he went to his teacher and inquired as to which province he ought to request for this assignment. He stated: “Choose none of the provinces. Tell your father the king that there won’t be any more sons left to serve him in his home city if he sends you, his one hundredth son, out to a province.” In addition to pleasing his father with his kindness and loyalty, Prince Gamani obeyed his teacher.
The prince then returned to his teacher and inquired as to the best way to serve his father and the populace in the capital city. The wise instructor responded, “Request the king’s permission to be the one in charge of tax collection and benefit distribution to the populace. If he agrees, then perform your duties diligently, fairly, and honestly.”
Once more, the prince took the advice of his mentor. The king was happy to delegate these duties to his one-hundredth son because he had faith in him. The young prince was always kind, just, and law abiding when he went out to carry out the challenging task of collecting fees and taxes. He was always generous, kind, and understanding when he gave food to the hungry and other necessities to the needy. The one hundredth prince quickly won everyone’s respect and love.
The king eventually arrived at his deathbed. His ministers questioned him about the potential succession. All of his one hundred sons, according to him, were eligible to succeed him. The people should make the decision.
All the people decided to elect the one hundredth prince as their new leader after he passed away. They crowned him King Gamani the Righteous in recognition of his goodness.
The 99 older brothers believed they had been insulted when they learned what had occurred. They got ready for war, enraged and filled with envy. They communicated with King Gamani in a message that read: “Your elders are all of us. If we are ruled by the one hundredth prince, our neighbouring nations will mock us. Either you cede the kingdom or we wage war to take it!”
When King Gamani received this message, he took it to his wise elder teacher and sought his counsel.
It so happened that the reborn Enlightenment Being was this honourable, gentle teacher. He stated: “Inform them that you will not go to war with your brothers. Inform them that you won’t assist them in killing the innocent people you have grown to know and love. Instead, explain to them that you are distributing the king’s wealth among the 100 princes. then mail each person their share.” Again, the king submitted to his tutor.
The royal capital was surrounded by the ninety-nine older princes who had brought their respective ninety-nine small armies. They convened a meeting after receiving the king’s message and their meagre shares of the royal treasure. They concluded that because each serving was so tiny, it was essentially meaningless. They wouldn’t accept them as a result.
But they soon understood that, in a similar manner, the kingdom itself would be divided into small worthless portions if they fought first with King Gamani and then with one another. Every fragment of the once-powerful kingdom would crumble in the face of an enemy state. They subsequently accepted King Gamani’s rule and returned their respective portions of the royal treasure as peace offerings.
To celebrate the tranquilly and unity of the kingdom, the king, who was pleased, invited his brothers to the palace. He amused them in the most ideal ways: with generosity, amicable conversation, teaching them things that would help them, and treating everyone with fair-minded courtesy.
In this way, the ninety-nine princes and the king grew closer as friends than as brothers. They were steadfast in their mutual support. Since everyone in the region was aware of this, neither the kingdom nor its citizens were in danger. The ninety-nine brothers went back to their home provinces after a while.
His wise old teacher was invited to reside in the palace by King Gamani the Righteous. He showed him great wealth and numerous gifts of honour. He gave his revered teacher a celebration and addressed the entire court, “I owe all of my success to the wise counsel of my kind and forgiving teacher because I was the one hundredth prince among one hundred deserving princes. Likewise, prosperity and happiness will be attained by all those who heed the counsel of their wise teachers. We owe my dear teacher for everything, even the harmony and power of the kingdom.”
The remainder of King Gamani the Righteous’s generous and just rule saw the kingdom prosper.
The moral is: One is rewarded a hundred-fold for following the advice of a wise teacher.
