Copyright@shravancharitymission
By Kamlesh Tripathi
By Kamlesh Tripathi
Once upon a time Greece was being ruled by a
king called Midas. He was extremely greedy. Besides, his daughter the only
thing he loved in the world was Gold. And he was so greedy about gold that even
while sleeping he used to make plans of amassing gold in large quantities.
One
day while the king was sitting in his treasury and counting his possessions in
terms of gold bricks and coins, he saw a ring of smoke rising from the ground
and behind that a golden silhouette emerged with a halo on the top that almost
resembled an angel. He was transfixed for a moment till the angel said—‘Midas!
You are so rich.’
Midas turned melancholic at once and replied—‘Where am I rich. I have so
little gold.’
Angel
said—‘You are not content even with so much of gold? How much gold do you
want?’
King
Midas replied—‘I desire; whatever I touch with my hands should turn into gold.’
Angel
laughed at the wish of the king and said—‘Very well! From tomorrow morning
whatever you touch will turn into gold.’
That
night the king could not sleep. He got up quite early in the morning. After
getting up he decided to keep his hand on the chair lying close to him just to
test the words of the angel. To his surprise the chair turned into gold. He then
touched a table and that too turned into gold. Midas in delight started merry
making by jumping and dancing. Like a mad man he then ran towards his garden
and started touching the plants there. Then he touched the flowers and the leaves,
he even touched the branches and the flower pots and everything turned into
gold. Everything around was now glittering like gold. Midas now had unlimited
gold.
Merry making and excitement had made king Midas tired by now. He hadn’t
even realised that his clothes had become heavy as it had turned into gold. He
was now thirsty and hungry. After returning from the garden he came and sat on
a golden chair. One of his servants kept some delicious food and water in front
of him realising his master was hungry. But the moment he touched the food it
turned into gold and the moment he lifted the glass of water that too also turned
into gold and this made him somewhat nervous. All the delicious food lying in front
of Midas had now turned into gold when he was very hungry. He couldn’t have
satisfied his hunger and quenched his thirst by food and water made out of
gold.
He
started weeping. Just then his daughter who was playing in the vicinity came
there, when she heard her father crying. And, seeing him crying she climbed on to
his lap to wipe his tears. Emotional Midas hugged his daughter but soon
realised that his daughter was no more there and in her place Midas had his
daughter’s golden statue that was very heavy for him to hold on to. Poor Midas
started banging his head on the calamity. Angel who was watching king Midas
from heaven witnessed the calamity that befell on him and felt sympathetic
towards him and appeared again. On seeing her Midas fell on her feet and
started pleading—‘please take back your blessing.’
Angel
asked—‘Midas! Now you don’t want gold? Tell me whether a glass of water is more
precious or gold? A morsel of bread is beneficial or gold?’
Midas folded his hands and said—‘I don’t want gold. I have come to know
that a man doesn’t require gold to survive. Without gold a man can exist but
without a glass of water or a loaf of bread he cannot. Now on I will not be
greedy for gold.’
Angel
then gave him a bowl full of water and said—‘sprinkle this all over.’
Midas
sprinkled the water on his daughter, on the chair and the table, on the food
and water, in the garden and on the plants and flowers, and everything thereafter
from gold came back to its original form.
***
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