Beginning with the story of the Lost Camel, we learn how King Alakesh meets three brilliant ministers. We learn how the three ministers meet the, King and join his court. We also find out how one of the ministers is able to save the king from two of the three calamities that have been mentioned in the prophecy of a goddess.
Listen to The Thee Calamities by clicking below
We learn how King Alkesh met three brilliant and faithful ministers, through the incident of The Lost Camel. We also came to know about the prophecy of the goddess through the story of the Three Calamities. The goddess had prophesized that three dangers threatened the life of King Alkesh. Bodhaditya, one of his ministers, was able to save the King.
Excerpt
In the ancient city of Alakapuri, a wealthy merchant loses his camel and sets out to find it. Along the way, he encounters four travelling ministers who have never seen the animal but, by carefully studying its tracks and the signs it has left behind, accurately describe its condition: one leg is lame, it is blind in one eye, it has an unusually short tail, and it is suffering from colic. The merchant suspects them of stealing the camel and takes them before King Alakesa, who initially shares his suspicion.
However, the four travellers explain the reasoning behind each observation, revealing their remarkable powers of deduction. Impressed by their wisdom and keen observation, the king rewards the merchant and appoints the four travellers as his principal ministers, demonstrating how careful observation and sound reasoning can reveal truths that are not immediately visible.
This story is from the collection Tales of the Sun- Stories from South India, compiled by Georgiana Kingscote in the late 19th century and Pandit Natesa Sastry, a scholar who knew 18 languages! This story has been edited, and revised by Amar Vyas and narrated by Sheerali Biju for gaatha story.