Disciple and the noose

It is said that what comes easy won’t last, what lasts won’t come easy. Once, a wandering saint and his disciple reached the town of Andhernagari. The disciple was mesmerised by the city’s unique way of life. Everything, be it expensive or cheap, cost an anna. The wise guru immediately advised his disciple to leave Andhernagari but the latter refused. So, the guru proceeded on his spiritual journey alone.

The disciple enjoyed the easy pleasures that the city had to offer, unaware that his happiness would be short-lived. One day, a brick wall fell on a man and injured him. He approached the foolish king for justice. The king summoned the contractor who built the wall. The frightened contractor blamed the mason, who blamed the girl whose singing had distracted him from his work.

The girl was dragged to the gallows but her neck was too slender for the hanging noose. The king ordered that the man whose neck would fit the noose be hanged. The disciple, who had grown plump, had stand before the noose.

The disciple was saying his last prayers when the guru arrived and convinced the king to hang himself instead, as that was an auspicious time to die to become a supreme king in his next birth. The disciple thanked his guru when crossed the city’s borders. He had learnt his lesson: nothing worth having comes easy.