Once, a man became an ascetic. His wife happily accompanied him wherever he went. Many years passed by. One day, a king was passing by where they lived. He was attracted to the ascetic’s wife. The king thought of carrying her away. But first, he wanted to know what the ascetic would do if he took the wife away. In order to examine the powers of the ascetic, the king asked, “What would you do if a thief or a wild animal attacked your wife?” The ascetic replied, “I would not release him.” The king thought that the ascetic was harmless and had no powers. He quickly dragged the wife towards his chariot. Suddenly, the king had a thought. He came and asked the ascetic, “Whom did you refer to as ‘him’?” The ascetic replied, “ ‘Him’ meant ‘anger’.” Then, the ascetic preached the king about the flaws of anger. The words of the ascetic changed the king. He begged the ascetic’s forgiveness and returned his wife.
The King and the Ascetic
