Ringing in justice
King Satyendra was a benevolent and just ruler. One day, he called his minister, Vishwanath, and said,“Build a bell tower just outside the palace gates. If anyone is in need or has a complaint, all he has to do is ring the bell so that I can immediately solve his problem.”
In accordance with the king's wishes, a tower containing a large bell was built. A rope was attached to the bell that reached the ground so that even a child could ring it. For months, no one rang the bell. Then one morning, the palace woke up to the sounds of the bell clanging.
“Find out who it is,” Satyendra ordered Vishwanath.
On reaching the bell tower, Vishwanath found a horse tugging the rope. He noticed that a vine was twined around the rope. The horse, while chewing the vine, had inadvertently caused the bell to ring. When Vishwanath returned to the palace, the king asked him who rang the bell and why.
“No one, Your Majesty,” replied Vishwanath. “Your subjects have no want.”
“Then how did the bell ring?” asked the surprised king.
Vishwanath told him about the horse and what had happened. “How does the horse look?” asked Satyendra.
Puzzled, Vishwanath answered, “He was old and thin. Why do you ask?”
“Horses usually don’t eat vines,”explained the king. “This one must be starving, which is why he was chewing it. It’s my duty to look after not just the people but also other living creatures in my kingdom. Find the horse’s owner.”
Vishwanath and the king’s officers traced the horse’s owner and brought him before the king. The owner confessed that he had abandoned the horse as the animal was old and unable to work like before. Satyendra punished the owner for his negligence. The horse, meanwhile, was taken to the royal stables where he was well looked after till the end of his life.
