Fragrance of Faith and Love

The king had taken ill, and it took him quite a while to recover. Finally, the day arrived when he emerged before his court, greeted by leading members of the nobility.

While the king was conversing with them, a villager suddenly dashed in, pursued by an angry durwan (doorkeeper).

“My lord, this man gate-crashed before I could stop him. He has been loitering at the gate for the past two days. How could I have suspected his intentions?” said the durwan.

“My lord, I was waiting to see you. I’ll leave in a moment. I come from Sudhapur, and when I learned of your illness, I promised our deity, Mother Kali, that I would offer her Puja if you were cured. I have done so. Here is the Prasad,” said the villager as he placed a closed bag before the king and hurried out.

The king opened the bag, and a stale smell wafted out. Without hesitation, he took off his gold necklace and handed it to a bodyguard, instructing, “Run after the man and give this to him.”

“My lord, you are giving away your precious necklace for this foul-smelling stuff!” asked his jester.

“Not for the foul-smelling stuff, but for the fragrance of the man’s faith and love,” replied the king.