The value of one jar water!

Once upon a time, nearly half of the Silbaripuram Kingdom was a desert. One day, its king, King Vikraman, had to travel to the Kosalapuram Kingdom. Since he was going to meet the King of Kosala, he was adorned with an expensive diamond crown, silk clothes, and gold necklaces.

At the same time, the King had an urgent royal matter that required him to go quickly and return soon. Therefore, the King chose the desert path, which was the shorter route.

However, it was summer. The heat on the sand was much more than the King had anticipated.

After riding his horse halfway, he quickly finished all the water he had due to his exhaustion. Yet, immediately, his throat became dry again.

Moreover, the horse was also exhausted. As the King slowly moved forward in distress, he spotted a tree visible in the distance across the desert. When he reached the spot, he saw an old man sitting there with a cloth bag and a stick.

The moment the old man saw the King, he burst out laughing. Seeing this, the King was engulfed in anger.

"Do you know that I am the King of this country?"

The old man continued to laugh, without stopping—"In this desert, you and I are both the same. Here, Need is the king. What is it that you want?"

The King said breathlessly, "I need water to drink immediately!"

The old man then asked, "If I give you water, what will you give me in return?"

The King replied, "I will give you my crown and my jewels."

The old man refused, "That is not possible. To give you half a pot of water, I need more than that."

The King, in desperation, said, "I will give you half of my kingdom as well!"

The old man showed no mercy at all. The King realized that he would soon collapse and die in the extreme heat. The King was therefore ready to compromise further.

"I will give you my entire kingdom. Give me the water quickly. I am losing consciousness!"

Immediately, the old man gave the King the entire pot of water to drink. The King felt as though he had received a new life. He said, "We must return to my palace to keep the word I gave you."

The old man promptly replied, "The price of your kingdom is equal to just one pot of my water. You do not have to give me anything in return."

At once, the King touched the old man's feet and bowed to him. The old man blessed the King, "Give up your arrogance, and rule this land as a good king. You should not interrupt your journey."

The King happily proceeded on his journey to Kosalapuram.

Moral: We should reflect that the status, power, wealth, beauty, and lineage that we greatly overvalue in this world are merely transient. We must discover the eternal love of God, humanity, and our purpose in life.