We should always be prepared to bear the results of what we do to others because whatever goes round comes round.

Once there lived a poor Brahmin Pandit in the city of Dharmashala with his four daughters. He had managed to wed three of them but could not collect money to marry off the fourth one. He sat in his veranda worried, resting his forehead on his hands. At that time Golpal was returning home from market. He saw the poor old man and asked him, ‘Hey Uncle! Why are you so upset? Three of yours daughters have been married and the forth will be married soon. It is the time for your merriment.’ The poor old Brahmin laughed on this fate and said that, ‘my dear Gopal, nothing had been hidden from you. I have wed three daughters and I have no money left now. To top that I am in debt of many people who had helped me pull off the weddings. It is time the fourth one gets married now but I cannot collect sufficient money for her wedding. Gopal thought for a second and replied that he could go to the king and ask for money. Everybody knows how poor and loyal Panditji is therefore the king would help him. Panditji thought it was the only way left for him and arrived at the king’s court next morning.

The king was happy to see him and wanted to give the money readily but one of the ministers said, that this would transmit the wrong message to the audience. They would consider the king as a treasury and would want to draw out money whenever they wished. Therefore, the Pandit should pay for the money with his deeds. It was the month of January. The king ordered the Panjit to spend the whole night in the palace lake dipped in water till neck praying for the welfare of the King. The Pandit readily agreed. E had no other option. This was his last resort.

Accordingly, the Pandit stood the whole night in neck deep water shivering and praying for the well being of the king. The next morning when the Pandit arrived at the court with fever for money, one of the ministers sprang up and said that the Pandit was a cheater. He had not spent the night in the terribly cold water. There as a fire torch on the top of the palace that burned the entire night. It had heated up the water of the pond thus the Pandit that not done anything worth the money. The king’s guards threw the poor Pandit out.

The Pandit was in tears. He was going back home when he came across Gopal. He cursed his luck and narrated the whole story to Gopal. Gopal was shocked at the cruelty. He asked the Pandit to go home and said that he would ask the king to reconsider. Gopal was the king’s Jester, his favourite one. Gopal reached the court and the king said he wished to go on a boat ride with Gopal on the blue serine Kaveri River. Gopal readily agreed.

The next day the king waited for Gopal but he did not arrive. Tired of waiting he sent one of his men to call Gopal. They said that Gopal was cooking rice he would come shortly. An hour later, the king sent his men and they replied their reply was same. The king himself went to Gopal.

He saw that Gopal had lit the fire on the ground with hay but h did not put the rice pot on top of it. Instead he hung it from a pole which was roughly ten feet above the fire. Whenever the king wanted to say something Gopal cut him and said that within a few minutes the rice would be ready. He would eat it and then leave.

The king finally lost his patience and asked Gopal stop his non sense. It was impossible for the fire to heat up a pot so high above. Gopal then asked curiously, ‘ Your Highness, if the fire torch on the palace top can heat an entire lake in the month of January, then why can this rice be cooked at such a short distance in broad daylight?’

The king realized his mistake. He was very happy with Gopal and rewarded him for bringing him back to his senses. The next day the king called the Brahmin Pandit and gave him money for his daughter’s wedding and paid for his debts too. The Pandit was very grateful to Gopal. He knew no one else could change the king’s mind.