The two warriors—Prince Arjava and Prince Rajsimha—looked at the magnificent valley with awe. It was heaven spread till eternity, and it could become theirs if they win the eventual test in the string of events of the last few months. The two were ready for the final test.
The princes approached the sage, who was the judge administering the event. ‘You will have to personally kill one of your closest aides and bring his head,’ the sage said. The princes could feel their jaws dropping. What could such an insanity test? ‘Level of ambition,’ the sage replied. ‘How far can you go to achieve what you want? Most kings do that, some deliberately, some without realising it.’
The princes had no idea of the tricks their minds would play. The wise, compassionate side of the mind warned them. However, the brazen, injudicious side came forth with justifications to throw caution to the wind. As the tussle continued inside the mind, the princes became aware of the persuasive ability the injudicious side possessed.
Prince Rajsimha quit the competition. However, Prince Arjava strode with the head of his friend and aide held by the hair, blood still dripping from it. What Prince Arjava did was true to the old idiom, ‘Sell one’s soul to the devil.’
Gruesome as it may be, the injudicious side of our mind acts in a similar way. For material gains, it asks us to go to the extreme, sacrifice someone, step over others’ heads, and even eliminate, at least from the field of competition, if not from life. It justifies them, while the wise side keeps dissuading and cautioning us.
Remember this cardinal principle: When the wise side of the mind brings forth hesitation and cautions us before any drastic action we’re about to take, don’t let the other side justify that action. Instead, we must listen to the wise side, as it’d let us see how deep an abyss the other side will lead us into. We must stop before it’s too late. Keep in mind that nothing in this world is worth selling your soul for.
If you’re still wondering about the story, well, let’s wrap it up. Prince Arjava got the shock of his life. It was Prince Rajsimha who became the eventual winner. The twist in the contest was that it was a test of self-restraint they exercised in the face of temptation. While succumbing to temptations might lead to temporary material gains, it’s your self-restraint that’ll lead to eternal bliss.