Long, long ago on the banks of the holy river Ganga was the great city of Pataliputra, the capital of a powerful kingdom. It was ruled by King Sudarshana. One day, King Sudarshana was travelling through his kingdom and heard someone reciting a verse that stated that wisdom is the most important possession a person could have. It is better than all the wealth and property in the kingdom. But the voice said that it was sad that not everyone had wisdom. This worried the king a lot, because he himself had sons who were very foolish. He thought it was better to have one wise son rather than forty foolish ones. After all, it was one moon that gave light at night, not millions of stars! ‘It is said,’ thought the king, ‘that wisdom, a gentle wife, obedient children, comfort and health are the best things in life!’
The Beginning
