Chapter 4: In the Kingdom of Fools

The Kingdom of Illogic

Adapted from a Kannada folktale by A.K. Ramanujan, this story centers on a kingdom where the King and the Minister decide to reverse day and night. People work at night and sleep during the day. Disobeying this meant a death penalty.

The Single Price Rule

In this kingdom, everything cost exactly one duddu—whether it was a measure of rice or a bunch of bananas. This attracted the greedy disciple while worrying the wise guru.

Wisdom vs. Greed

The Guru recognized the danger immediately: "This is a city of fools. You don’t know what they will do next." He left, but his disciple stayed behind, lured by the cheap food, and grew "fat like a street-side sacred bull."

The Chain of Blame

A thief dies when a wall collapses on him during a robbery. The King initiates a series of absurd trials to find the culprit, creating a hilarious chain of responsibility:

Merchant: "It's the bricklayer’s fault for building a weak wall."
Bricklayer: "I was distracted by a dancing girl's jingling anklets."
Dancer: "The goldsmith delayed my jewelry, making me walk the street."
Goldsmith: "A rich merchant made me finish his order first."
Rich Merchant: (Turns out to be the original house owner's son!)

The Guru's Rescue

When the merchant is found too thin for the execution stake, the King orders his servants to find any "fat man" instead. They seize the disciple. The Guru arrives just in time, using his wit to convince the King that whoever dies on the stake first will be reborn as the King, and the second as the Minister.

True to their foolish nature, the King and Minister execute themselves to secure their future power, leaving the people to beg the Guru and Disciple to rule.

Vocabulary

Duddu: Currency unit in the tale
Bailiff: Law officer
Scrape: Difficult situation
Decree: Official order

Key Learnings

  • Fools are dangerous and unpredictable; only the wise can manage them.
  • Greed often leads one into a "scrape" or trap.
  • Presence of mind and wit are more powerful than arbitrary laws.