The neglected wife

When Brahmadutta was ruling Banaras, Bodhisatva was born.
One day, the king became angry with his son and banished him from the kingdom. The prince left Banaras with his wife. They wandered in other lands for a long time suffering untold privations. On several occassions, the prince didn't have a roof over his head. He had also to go without food. His faithful wife shared all the hardships without a word of complaint.

As time passed, King Brahmadutta died. On learning the news, the prince thought he could now return to Banaras, and ascend the throne. So he and his wife started for Banaras, travelling day and night.In his anxiety to reach the capital as quickly as possible, he forgot to look after his wife's comfort. He forced her to walk as fast as he did and even to go without food and sleep as much as possible.

Though he was anxious to reach Banaras, he couldn;t resist from eating. One day,the couple reached a village in a state of great hunger. One of the villagers took pity on them and asked the prince to go with him to his house.Asking his wife to rest under a tree, he went with the villager.He gave the prince a parcel of food which would be enough for two. On his was back the prince thought,"This food is sufficient for two of us. I don't know when and where we;ll get our next meal.And Banaras is still very far off. It is more important that I reach Banaras. My wife need not hurry to get there. Even otherwise,she is being a hindrance to me.If not with her, I would have gone much farther by now. I must manage to eat all this food myself."

With his mind full of suh mean thoughts, the prince returned to where his wife was resting. "Here's some food", he told her,"You start walking, I shall catch up with you after my ablutions".

Believing him,she wearily walked ahead. The prince ate up all the food. He then made a bundle of the leaves in which the food had been packed an caught up with his wife.

"Look at the mischief," he told her showing the packet. "The rascal has fooled us with an empty parcel.There's no food in it."

His wife said nothing, but she could guess what might have happened. After some more days, they arrived in Banaras. The prince was duly crowned as the king. Thought she had shared all his hardships, he didn't feel it necessary to share his happiness with his queen.She was totally neglected by the king.

Bodhisatva, who had become the King's counsellor, noticed the state of affairs. One day, he wnet to see the queen who received him with due courtesy.

"After coming into good times, the king distributed gifts to all of us," he said."But I am yet to et anything from the hands of queen!"

"Sir," she said pitifully,"I'm the queen only in name. There's very little difference between me and the palace maids. I had dutifully shared all his misfortunes, but it looks as though i don't have the right to have a share of his fortune." She went to narrate to the counsellor how, on their way to Banaras, the prince had robbed her of her share of food."Even now," she said, " the king doesn't care to enquire whether I have had my food, what clothes I am wearing and so on."

"Don't worry, your hightness," Bodhisatva said, seeing that she was in tears,"I've suspected this , I came here only to know the truth from you. Let's repeat our conversation tomorrow in hte court. I'll see that the king doesn't neglect you anymore."

The next day, the queen was present at the court. Bodhisatva remarked in the full court that the queen had no thoughts for the poor since she became the queen.

Then the queen told the court all that she had told the counsellor the previous day. The King felt ashamed when she revealed how he had robbed her of her share of food while they were returning to Banaras.

"If the King is neglecting you," Bodhisatva told her, " there's no reason why you should stay with him. The scriptures tell us: Leave one who had left you. Don't make friends with him.You need not be nice to anyone who frowns at you.Birds leave the fruitless tree and seek other trees. The world is wide. So, you can get out into the world and seek those who will be considerate to you.

Hering this, the King left the throne and fell at Bodhisatva's feet. 'O wise counsellor! Don't put me to shame!' he begged. "I shall henceforth treat my wife with respect. I apologise for what I have done."