Musings of Suresh “Great Baron” Jeyaverasingam

I got the following story from an e-mail. I hope it strikes a chord somewhere in the deepest recessess of your body. BTw…I seem to be getting spam in my message box…quite remarkable for a site that doesn’t update much lately and which does not get many visitors( if you discount the spammers).

THE MAHARAJA’S SEEDS

A Maharaja in India was growing old and new it was time to choose his successor.

Instead of choosing one of his assistants or his children, he decided something
different.

He called young people in the kingdom together one day.

He said, “It is time for me to step down and choose the next king. I have
decided to choose one of you.”

The kids were shocked!

But the king continued.

“I am going to give each one of you a seed today, one very special seed. I want
you to plant the seed, water it and come back here one year from today with what
you have grown from this one seed. I will then judge the plants that you bring,
and the one I choose will be the next emperor!”

One boy name Linga was there that day and he, like the others, received a seed.
He went home and excitedly told his mother the story.

She helps him get a pot and planting soil, and he planted the seed and watered
it carefully.

Everyday he would water it watches to see if it had grown.

After about three weeks, some of the other youths began to talk about their
seeds and the plants that were beginning to grow.

Linga kept checking his seed, but nothing ever grew.

Three weeks, 4 weeks, 5 weeks went by. Still nothing.

By now, others were talking about their plants but Linga didn’t have a plant,
and he felt like a failure.

Six months went by; still nothing in Linga’s pot. He just knew he had killed his
seed. Everyone else had trees and tall plants, but he had nothing.

Linga didn’t say anything to his friends, however. He just kept waiting for his
seed grow.

A year finally went by and all of the youths of the kingdom brought their plants
to the king for inspection.

Linga told his mother that he wasn’t going to take an empty pot but his mother
said he must be honest about what happened.

Linga felt sick to his stomach, but he knew his mother was right.

He took his empty pot to the palace.

When Linga arrived, he was amazed at the variety of plants grown by the other
youths. They were beautiful — in all shape and sizes.

Linga put his empty pot on the floor and many of the other kids laughed at him.

A few felt sorry for him and just said, “Hey nice try.”

When the king arrived, he surveyed the room and greeted the young people.

Linga just tried to hide in the back.

“My, what great plants, trees and flowers you have grown,” said the king.
“Today, one of you will be appointed the next king!”

All of the sudden, the king spotted Linga at the back of the room with his empty
pot. He ordered his guards to bring him to the front.

Linga was terrified.

“The king knows I’m a failure! Maybe he will have me killed!”

When Linga got to the front, the king asked his name.

“My name is Lingeswaran but they call me Linga,” he replied.

All kids were laughing and making fun of him.

The king asked everyone to quiet down.

He looked at Linga, and then announced to the crowd, “Behold your new MAHARAJA!
His name is Lingeswaran!”

Linga couldn’t believe it. Linga couldn’t even grow his seed. How could he be
the new king?

Then the king said, “One year ago today, I gave everyone here a seed. I told you
to take the seed, plant it, water it, and bring it back to me today. But I gave
you all boiled seeds, which would not grow. All of you, except Linga, have
brought me trees and plants and flowers. When you found that the seed would not
grow, you substituted another seed for the one I gave you. Linga was the only
one with the courage and honesty to bring me a pot with my seed in it.
Therefore, he is the one who will be the new MAHARAJA!”

If you plant honesty, you will reap trust.
If you plant goodness, you will reap friends.
If you plant humility, you will reap greatness.
If you plant perseverance, you will reap victory.
If you plant consideration, you will reap harmony.
If you plant hard work, you will reap success.
If you plant forgiveness, you will reap intimacy.
If you plant patience, you will reap inner strength.
If you plant faith, you will reap miracles.
But if you plant dishonesty, you will reap distrust.
If you plant selfishness, you will reap loneliness.
If you plant pride, you will reap destruction.
If you plant envy, you will reap trouble.
If you plant laziness, you will reap stagnation.
If you plant bitterness, you will reap isolation.
If you plant greed, you will reap loss.
If you plant gossip, you will reap enemies.
If you plant worries, you will reap wrinkles.
If you plant sin, you will reap guilt.