Bagh O Bahar | Page 7

for the life and prosperity of
your majesty; and from grief for your situation, they are all in
confusion and dejected. Show the royal countenance to them, that they
may be easy in their minds. Accordingly, they are now waiting in the
Diwani Amm." On hearing this, the king said, "If God please, I will
hold a court to-morrow: tell them all to attend." Khiradmand was quite
rejoiced on hearing this promise, and lifting up his hands, blessed the
king, saying, "As long as this earth and heaven exist, may your
majesty's crown and throne remain. Then taking leave [of the king,] he
retired with infinite joy, and communicated these pleasing tidings to the
nobles. All the nobles returned to their homes with smiles and gladness
of heart. The whole city rejoiced, and the subjects became boundless
[in their transports at the idea] that the king would hold a general court
the next day. In the morning, all the servants of state, noble and menial,
and the pillars of state, small and great, came to the court, and stood
each according to his respective place and degree, and waited with
anxiety to behold the royal splendour.
When one pahar [67] of the day had elapsed, all at once the curtain
drew up, and the king, having ascended, seated himself on the
auspicious throne. The sounds of joy struck up in the Naubat-Khana,
[68] and all the assembly offered the nazars [69] of congratulation, and
made their obeisance in the hall of audience. Each was rewarded
according to his respective degree and rank, and the hearts of all
became joyful and easy. At midday [70] his majesty arose and retired to
the interior of the palace; and after enjoying the royal repast, retired to
rest. From that day the king made this an established rule, viz., to hold
his court every morning, and pass the afternoons in reading and in the
offices of devotion; and after expressing penitence, and beseeching
forgiveness from God, to pray for the accomplishment of his desires.
One day, the king saw it written in a book, that if any one is so

oppressed with grief and care as not to be relieved by [any human]
contrivance, he ought to commit [his sorrows] to Providence, visit the
tombs of the dead, and pray for the blessing of God on them, [71]
through the mediation of the Prophet; and conceiving himself nothing,
keep his heart free from the thoughtlessness of mankind; weep as a
warning to others, and behold [with awe] the power of God, saying,
"Anterior to me, what mighty possessors of kingdoms and wealth have
been born on earth! but the sky, involving them all in its revolving
circle, has mixed them with the dust." It is a bye-word, that, "on
beholding the moving handmill, Kabira, [72] weeping, exclaimed,
'Alas! nothing has yet survived the pressure of the two millstones.'"
"Now, if you look [for those heroes], not one vestige of them remains,
except a heap of dust. All of them, leaving their riches and possessions,
their homes and offsprings, their friends and dependants, their horses
and elephants, are lying alone! All these [worldly advantages] have
been of no use to them; moreover, no one by this time, knows even
their names, or who they were; and their state within the grave cannot
be discovered; (for worms, insects, ants, and snakes have eaten them
up;) or [who knows] what has happened to them, or how they have
settled their accounts with God? After meditating on these words in his
mind, he should look on the whole of this world as a perfect farce; then
the flower of his heart will ever bloom, and it will not wither in any
circumstance." When the king read this admonition in the book, he
recollected the advice of Khiradmand the Wazir, and found that they
coincided. He became anxious in his mind to put this in execution; "but
to mount on horseback, [said his majesty to himself,] and take a retinue
with me, and go like a king, is not becoming; it is better to change my
dress, and go at night and alone to visit the graves of the dead, or some
godly recluse, and keep awake all night; perhaps by the mediation of
these holy men, the desires of this world and salvation in the next, may
be obtained."
Having formed this resolution, the king one night put on coarse and
soiled clothes, and taking some money with him, he stole silently out of
the fort, and bent his way over the plain; proceeding onwards, he
arrived at a cemetery, and was repeating his prayers with a sincere heart.

At that time, a fierce wind continued blowing, and might be called a
storm. Suddenly the king saw a flame at