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THE CHARM OF SPEECH ONCE a Raja had a very terrifying dream. He dreamt that he had lost his entire set of teeth. He was very much worried. It would be such a misfortune for a young man to lose all his teeth at once. It would make him look so ugly; how would he show his face in public?
Early in the morning, he summoned an assembly of astrologers, and asked them to interpret his strange dream. There were two veterans, learned in the lore of astrology who volunteered to interpret the dream.
The first one said, “Your dream is truly ominous. It signifies the death of your entire family. You will see every single member of your family fall a victim to death."
Hearing this appalling interpretation, the whole assembly was filled with apprehension.
The other astrologer, a firm believer in the subtle charm of speech, said, “Sir, permit me to ponder over this and give my interpretation tomorrow.”
The next day the dreamer of this strange dream again held the assembly. His heart was heavy, and his face despondent. All sat silent, eagerly awaiting the words of the second astrologer.
This apostle of the charm of words spoke with calm gravity: “Sir, your dream is not as terrible as
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