“Together with a palette of kindness, brushes of wisdom, and colours of love, create a beautiful canvas of life’s kingdom.”
Once upon a time, in the 15th century, there was a kingdom called the Great Kantuga Empire in the Northern plain of the east territory of India. The Kantuga Empire gained a reputation for its cultural and economic height. The King brought up and nurtured the kingdom and its people with benevolence. People praised the King for his intelligence, management and prudence. The country is prosperous with peace, security and freedom.
The King is getting old. He has to decide the next heir of the kingdom. He has four sons from his four wives and always wants to satisfy his wives by choosing the next heir to the throne based on age. The King had given all of his sons an equal upbringing and education. They have seen the kingdom with their eyes and how their father led it and served his people with extraordinary fortune. He promised his wives he would decide on the next heir based on their intelligence, leadership, and decisiveness.
He took counsel from his ministers on how he could assess his sons. One minister suggested to the King, he said, “This is the grandest kingdom where all your sons have grown up. Through your skilful leadership and dedication to serving the country, they have witnessed the prosperity of this kingdom. Now it’s their turn to give thoughts about how to advance the kingdom and account for its immaturity and unconventional status.”
The King wonders what task would be suitable for testing them. The minister further states the task favours him in deciding on his heir.
The King called all his four sons and told them he would choose his successor based on an evaluation of the task. His sons take their father’s command and gear up for the test. Each of them went to their mother, taking the blessings. Their mother tells them to give their mind and heart to the task, and they want their son to succeed. They mentioned it would be an honour to become a successor of this great kingdom. Their name would be immortal in history.
The King, with his sons, reached the task’s location on the appointed day. The King’s minister explains the rules and mission to accomplish. He mentioned, ‘Each one, you get one empty room. You have one hour to fill that room with any materials you wish to use. After that time, our King will decide on the winner based on two factors: What materials do you use? And how much percentage of space do you fill?’ Then, each of you has to explain to the King why you use that material, and the King will announce the heir to the throne of this grand Empire.
The exercise has started. All King’s sons engaged in the activity to fill the room. They all used their mind and intelligence to fill the room with astonishing things, which impressed the King and filled it as much as possible. They all spend almost all the time given to them. The time got over, and all his sons joined the King. The King and the minister, along with his four sons, examine the task his sons had performed.
The first room of his eldest son. He filled the room with pieces of Wood. The room is almost half-filled. ‘Why would you think of wood as a material to fill a room?’ asked the King.
His son replied, “Wood is the natural symbol considered valuable material. It signifies wisdom and longevity. I will administer this kingdom with my knowledge and experience and show skills to grow this Empire into an ultimate and greatest dominion. Wood also means the connection people have to the divine. I will serve my people with God’s grace and give all the kindness and protection.”
Then, the King enters the other room. That was his second son. The King saw the room filled with small plants, leaves and flowers, filling about ¾ of the room’s space. The King asked his son, Why would you choose plants and flowers to fill a room?
The son replied, “Plants and leaves symbolise loyalty and faith. I will discipline that faith in the people and with the neighbouring kingdoms. I will use fresh ideas to change the tradition of dissimilarity among them and create new relationships with the People. The flowers also signify the emotions and joy in life. I will bring that emotional undertaking, empathise with the people and fulfil my commitments”.
The King progressed to the next room. This was his third son. He used Cotton to fill the room. It impressed the King to see he had consumed almost all the space. The King asked his son, ‘Why would you consider cotton to fill the room?’
The son replied, “Cotton is the symbol of promise. As a king, I will pledge to fulfil all the requirements. I would bring harmony and security to people and prosper the kingdom with well-being. Cotton signifies perseverance to continue doing functions and flourish the Empire with capital stability. Just like Cotton helps to enrich the soil, I will forever pursue to nurture this kingdom with my prowess.”
The King entered the last room. That was his youngest son. All the King’s sons started laughing when they saw the room was empty, but the pleasant essence was like a fragrance. The King looked at his youngest son and smiled. He asked, ‘Could you explain all of us? Why would you make this peculiar choice?’
The youngest son replied, “As a king, my first vow isn’t to look for material attainment but to dedicate all my life and course of action to serving this great Empire and the people of this kingdom. I will bring prosperity to the kingdom only after I am away from material possessions. I painted the walls of this room, and the scent filled it. This scent signifies divine love and unison. The foremost thing to prosper this kingdom is to unite it with people, law and order. The room is full, yet it seems empty. It defined the values, skills, and wisdom needed to create this Empire on a faith medium to convey tenderness to the people and the neighbouring empires. A kingdom becomes the greatest when its people are secure and its neighbouring countries support it. I lead this Empire and spread this fragrance to create that margin of compassion and friendship. The emptiness signifies the space of imagination and inspiration to the people of this country. This odour alerts us to slides from the unacceptable actions of other kingdoms. It also signifies the diverse culture and space for all the traditions and people of different ranges and ethnicities and will bring equal prospects to advance the Empire’s sovereignty. The smells imply the freedom and right to express to secure all its people.”
The King addressed the assembly. He said, “My all sons gave their affirmations. I am happy they all have distinct qualities to serve this great kingdom. I have to choose one of them as the heir to the Kantuga Empire. My son, who proved all the qualities necessary to become a great king of this Empire, is the one who is intelligent, strong, and devoted to his people. He will gain wisdom by seeking guidance from faithful advisors and personal experience through his awareness. His leadership allows him to perform the actions and decisions effectively, and a king must not quiver and must lead from the front. He will bring equal opportunities to the people and serve them with a big heart. My youngest son demonstrates all these qualities, and I pronounce him as an heir of the Kantuga Empire to influence this greatest kingdom with his extraordinary shrewdness.”