The Three Questions of the King

3 Questions of King

The king, in a good mood, turned to his young minister and asked with a smile, "What is the greatest wish of your life?" The minister, feeling embarrassed, lowered his gaze. The king laughed and reassured him, "Don’t worry, just tell me your biggest wish."

After a moment of hesitation, the minister knelt down and humbly replied, "Your Majesty, you rule the most beautiful kingdom in the world. Every time I see it, a wish grows in my heart. If one-tenth of it were mine, I would be the luckiest person on earth."

The king smiled and, with a chuckle, said, "What if I give you half of my kingdom?" The minister, shocked and amazed, nervously replied, "O King! How can this be? How could I be so fortunate?"

Without a moment's hesitation, the king summoned his secretary and ordered two decrees: one granting half of his kingdom to the minister, and the other ordering the minister’s beheading. The minister was stunned by both orders. The king sealed the decrees and, looking the minister in the eye, said, "You have thirty days to answer three questions. If you succeed, the second decree will be revoked, and you will receive half of my kingdom. If you fail, your life will be forfeited."

The minister, overwhelmed by the gravity of the situation, hurriedly wrote down the king’s questions.

The first was: What is the greatest truth of human life?

The second: What is the greatest deception in human life? And the third: What is the greatest weakness of human life?

The king rang the bell and declared, "Your time begins now."

Desperate, the minister rushed from the palace and consulted intellectuals, scholars, and wise men across the kingdom. But no one could provide an answer. He increased the number of thinkers he consulted, but the result was always the same. After days of searching in vain, he left the capital, worn out and disheartened.

He traveled from city to city, village to village, seeking answers, but none came. His royal robe was torn, his turban hung loosely around his neck, and his shoes were worn down, leaving blisters on his feet. On the last day, with only hours remaining, the minister found himself in the slums of the capital. There, in a modest hut, he encountered a beggar.

The beggar, sitting with his dog and eating dry bread dipped in water, looked up and laughed, saying, "Your Excellency, you're in the right place. I have the answers to your questions."

The minister, astonished, asked, "How did you know who I am and what my problem is?"

The beggar smiled, showing him a royal cloak under his sack. "I was once a minister of this kingdom," he said. "I too made the mistake of betting on the king like you. But now, look at me. I tore up the king's orders, left the palace, and came to live here, content with my simple life."

The minister, intrigued but anxious, asked, "Can you answer my questions?"

The beggar nodded and said, "I’ll answer the first two for free, but the third one will cost you."

With no other choice, the minister agreed. The beggar began, "The greatest truth of human life is death. No one, no matter who they are, can escape it."

He paused and continued, "The greatest deception is life—we all believe it’s eternal, but it's not."

Both answers hit the minister deeply, but now he was eager for the third answer. The beggar laughed, picked up a cup of milk meant for his dog, and handed it to the minister. "I won’t answer the third question until you drink this milk."

The minister hesitated, disgusted by the thought of drinking leftover milk from the dog. But the beggar explained, "You have two options: drink the milk, and your life will be saved, and you'll receive half of the kingdom. Refuse, and the executioner will take your head tomorrow."

Torn between his life and dignity, the minister finally drank the milk, his stomach turning in shame. The beggar smiled knowingly and said, "The greatest weakness of human life is desire. It compels us to do things we wouldn’t normally do, like drinking this milk to survive. It is desire that drives us into the mire of life and makes us forget the truth of death."

The minister, humiliated and ashamed, left the beggar’s hut and made his way back to the palace. As he approached the palace gates, his heart heavy with the weight of his actions, he felt an overwhelming sense of self-loathing. At the door, he collapsed, his chest filled with agony, and his life slipped away.

The minister's journey was a painful one—one that led him to understand some of the most profound truths about life, death, and the human condition.