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DISCOURSE 26
standing near the King. Sthulabhadra looked towards Shriyak. There were tears in Shriyak's eyes. There were feelings of sorrow and unconcern in his face. Shriyak also looked towards his elder brother.
Sthulabhadra said to the King, “Your highness! you are extremely graceful towards our family. You have shown great affection to me. You have given me this ring of the Chief Minister - I shall deem it an act of grace on your part if you will kindly give me some time to think over. I want to go into the palace-orchard and think calmly for a while. Without thinking thus, how can I undertake such a great responsibility?"
The King gave his consent to this; and Sthulabhadra went into the garden. Shriyak also followed him into the garden. Now, you too think about this incident.
HOW WAS STHULABHADRA WORTHY TO BECOME CHIEF MINISTER ?
Why did the king decide to offer the position of Chief Minister to Sthulabhadra ? What merit did the King see in him ? Sthulabhadra had remained in the house of the courtesan for twelve years forgetting his father, his mother, his brothers and sisters and all relatives and friends. He never even thought of his father's honour and prestige. He had not obtained any education or training in administrative affairs and to such a man, the king of Magadha offered the position of Chief Minister. What merit did he possess ? The only merit was that he was born in the family of the Chief Minister. He was born in a high family. Shakatal, the Chief Minister belonged to a noble and illustrious family. He was loyal to the king and the country. So, it was considered proper that after his death, his position should be occupied by his son.
From the Audience : Two questions crop up here. The first question is this. The king had suspected the loyalty of Shakatal, the Chief Minister. It was only for this reason that Shakatal got himself killed by his son. The king had lost his confidence in the Chief Minister's family and its loyalty. When that was so, how did he offer the position to his son? The
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