A King, once passing through a forest, came across a sage and requested the holy person to accompany him to his kingdom. The motive behind the invitation was to expand his kingdom and acquire more wealth, with the help of the sage. The holy man, divining this intention, resolved to bring the king back to his senses.
At the palace, he dressed in costly silk garments, sprayed perfumes and ordered for rich food. The king, feeling that he had misconstrued a jolly person to be a sage, decided to send him back to the forest. Just as the sage was about to depart for the forest, the king could not contain his feelings and exclaimed bitterly, ‘I thought you were a saintly person. Why did you indulge in such merriment?’
To which the sage replied, ‘I wanted to demonstrate to you that I could lead the life of a recluse as well as a life of luxury and yet remain unaffected; whereas you have not yet mellowed.’
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