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PHILOSOPHY OF SOUL
437
you will wear these ornaments you will bristle with the glory of the king of kings or a divine prince. But beware, the world abounds in selfish persons. No sooner would they see these ornaments than they will plot in various ways to deprive you of these ornaments. Some one might say: “These ornaments are quite cheap and low. They are made of iron, you should not wear them, but you should disregard their words”.
The prince said: "I agree to your conditions. I shall not part with them in favour of any one and I shall punish them who would speak about them as made of iron. Give them to me for my use".
Having thus prepared the mind of the prince, the minister gave to him iron ornaments to wear. The prince was overjoyed and he took his seat in front of the main entrance of the royal palace. In the meanwhile some of the supplicants and beggars approached him. With surprise they said regarding the ornaments; "Prince how is it that you wear iron ornaments today. It does not befit you to wear such ornaments".
Hearing these remarks the prince took up a stick lieing nearby and thrashed the beggars with the stick. He said : "You scoundrels, you desire to rob my ornaments. I am fully conscious Get away from here".
The beggars ran off. Later on, some royal attendants came over there and expressed great wonder to find the prince decked with iron ornaments. They out of regard for the prince said: “Your honour, these ornaments of iron grant you no glory. We have ample ornaments of gold, then how is it that you chose today to wear iron ones”.
The prince said : “Mind well, I shall take you to task if you condemn my ornaments. I never wore such ornaments got prepared by my ancestors"
No sooner did one of the attendants begin to retort than the prince thrashed one or two of them with the stick, The attendants departed.
Some of the relatives of the prince who approached him to pass their remarks about the ornaments also met with the same fate. The prince paid heed to nobody's advice.
