Three Questions ( part 2 )

When the king had dug two beds, he stopped

and repeated his questions. The hermit gave no

answer, but stood up, stretching out his hand for

the spade, and said, “Now you rest, and let me work.”

But the king did not give him the spade and

continued to dig.

One hour passed, then another. The sun went

down behind the trees, and at last the king stuck

the spade into the ground and said, “I came to

you, wise man, for an answer to my questions. If

you can give me no answer, tell me so and I will

return home.”

“Here comes someone running,” said the hermit.

The king turned round and saw a bearded man

running towards them. His hands were pressed

against his stomach, from which blood was

flowing. When he reached the king he fainted and

fell to the ground. The king and the hermit

removed the man’s clothing and found a large

wound in his stomach. The king washed and

covered it with his handkerchief, but the blood

would not stop flowing. The king re-dressed the

wound until at last the bleeding stopped.

The man felt better and asked for something

to drink. The king brought fresh water and gave

it to him. By this time the sun had set and the

air was cool. The king with the hermit’s help

carried the wounded man into the hut and laid

him on the bed. The man closed his eyes and

lay quiet. The king, tired by his walk and the

work he had done, lay down on the floor and

slept through the night. When he awoke, it was

several minutes before he could remember

re-dressed:

dressed

again

where he was or who the strange bearded man

lying on the bed was.

“Forgive me!” said the bearded man in a weak

voice, when he saw that the king was awake.

“I do not know you and have nothing to forgive

you for,” said the king.

“You do not know me, but 1 know you. 1 am

that enemy of yours who swore revenge on you,

because you put my brother to death and seized

my property. I knew you had gone alone to see that

hermit, and I made up my mind to kill you on your

way home. But the day passed and you did not

return. So I left my hiding-place, and I came upon

your bodyguard, who recognised me and wounded

me. I escaped from him but I should have died if

you had not dressed my wounds. I wished to kill

you, and you have saved my life. Now, if I live, I will

serve you as your most faithful servant and will order

my sons to do the same. Forgive me!”

The king was very happy to have made peace

with his enemy so easily, and to have won him

over as a friend. He not only forgave him but said

he would send his servants and his own doctor

to look after him, and he promised to give back

the man his property.

Leaving the wounded man, the king went out

of the hut and looked round for the hermit. Before

going away he wished once more to get answers

to his questions. The hermit was on his knees

sowing seeds in the beds that had been dug the

day before. The king went up to the hermit and

said, “For the last time I beg you to answer my

questions wise man

“You have already been answered!” said the

hermit still bending down to the ground and

looking up at the king as he stood before him.

“How have I been answered? What do

you mean?”

“Do you not see?” replied the hermit. “If you

had not pitied my weakness yesterday and had

not dug these beds for me, you would have gone

away. Then that man would have attacked you

and you would have wished you had stayed with

me. So the most important time was when you

were digging the beds. And I was the most

important man, and to do me good was your most

important business. Afterwards, when the man

ran to us, the most important time was when you

were caring for him, because if you had not

dressed his wounds he would have died without

having made peace with you. So he was the most

important man, and what you did for him was

your most important business.

“Remember then, there is only one time that is

important and that time is ‘Now’. It is the most

important time because it is the only time we have

any power to act.

“The most necessary person is the person you

are with at a particular moment, for no one knows

what will happen in the future and whether we

will meet anyone else. The most important

business is to do that person good, because we

were sent into this world for that purpose alone.”

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