A Lesson for Kings

Watercolor illustration of the young Prince Brahma-datta (light brown skin, dark curly hair, wearing simple gold-trimmed robes) as a sixteen-year-old student at Takkasila, diligently studying ancient texts with a wise-looking guru (white hair, long beard, saffron robes). Lush green trees and traditional buildings in the background. Soft, warm color palette.

Once upon a time, a long, long time ago, when King Brahma-datta was in charge of Benares, the future Buddha was born as his son! When it was time to give the little prince a name, they called him Prince Brahma-datta. He grew up big and strong, and when he turned sixteen, he went to a special school called Takkasila. There, he learned all sorts of amazing things. After his dad, the king, passed away, he became the new king and promised to be fair and kind to everyone.

He told his ministers to take care of the kingdom for a while. Then, he hopped in his chariot with just his driver and left the city dressed in simple clothes, so no one would know he was the king. He traveled all over the countryside, but still, everyone said only good things about him. So, he turned his chariot around and headed back to the city.

Now, at the same time, there was another king named Mallika in Kosala. He was also trying to be a good king, but just like the future Buddha, he couldn’t find anyone to tell him his faults. Everyone just said he was wonderful!

Watercolor illustration showing King Mallika (slightly darker brown skin, straight black hair, simple green clothes) humbly removing the horses from his chariot to make way for King Brahma-datta (light brown skin, dark curly hair, short beard, simple brown clothes). Brahma-datta is looking down at Mallika with a gentle, understanding expression. The scene reflects humility and respect. The background shows the winding road and the countryside. Softer, muted colors to emphasize the emotional tone.

He made sure everyone was treated equally, whether he liked them or not. He didn’t let anyone trick him or scare him. Because he was so fair, his helpers, the ministers, were fair too! And because everyone was so fair, no one tried to cheat or lie in court. In fact, there were so few problems that the judges sat around all day with nothing to do! It got so quiet that they thought they might have to close the Hall of Justice!

The future Buddha thought to himself, “Hmm, maybe being a good king is making things TOO quiet. Maybe I should see if there’s something wrong with me. If I find a mistake, I’ll fix it and try even harder to be good!”

So, he started asking people to tell him his faults, but everyone just said nice things about him. No one would say anything bad!

He thought, “Aha! They’re probably scared to tell me the truth.” So, he went outside the palace to ask other people. But even outside the palace, everyone just praised him. He even went outside the city to the suburbs, but still, no one could find a single fault! He decided he had to search the countryside.

Watercolor illustration of King Brahma-datta (light brown skin, dark curly hair, short beard, simple brown clothes) in a wooden chariot driven by his loyal driver (dark brown skin, simple brown clothes). The King is looking out at the countryside, searching for someone to tell him his faults. Rolling green hills and small villages dot the background. The light is bright and hopeful, with pops of color in the wildflowers.

So, King Mallika also decided to travel around the countryside. And guess what? The two kings met on a narrow, bumpy road! There wasn’t enough room for both chariots to pass!

King Mallika’s driver said to the other driver, “Get your chariot out of the way!”

But the other driver said, “No way! My chariot has the great King Brahma-datta of Benares in it! You move!”

Then King Mallika’s driver said, “Well, MY chariot has the great King Mallika of Kosala in it! So YOU move!”

The driver of the King of Benares thought, “Oh no! What should I do? I know! I’ll ask how old he is. The younger king should move for the older king!”

So, he asked the other driver how old King Mallika was. But guess what? They were both the same age! Then he asked about the size of their kingdoms, their armies, their money, and their fame. He even asked about their families! And it turned out they were exactly the same in every way!

Then he thought, “Hmm, I’ll make way for the kindest king.” So, he asked, “What kind of good things does your king do?”

King Mallika’s driver, trying to make his king sound really good, said:

“My king is super strong! He beats strong people with his strength! He’s nice to nice people! He’s good to good people! And he’s mean to mean people! That’s just how he is! So, move out of the way!”

But the driver of the King of Benares asked, “Is that ALL the good things your king does?”

Watercolor illustration depicting the pivotal moment where the chariots of King Brahma-datta (light brown skin, dark curly hair, short beard, simple brown clothes) and King Mallika (slightly darker brown skin, straight black hair, wearing simple green clothes) meet on a narrow, bumpy road. Their drivers (dark brown skin, simple brown clothes for Brahma-datta’s driver and dark green skin, simple green clothes for Mallika’s driver) are arguing. Dust is kicked up by the chariot wheels. A sense of tension fills the scene. Use earth tones with accents of red on the chariots.

“Yes,” said the other driver.

“If THOSE are his good things, then where are his bad things?” the driver replied.

The other driver said, “Okay, okay, those are his bad things! Now, what kind of good things does YOUR king do?”

Then the driver of the King of Benares called out for him to listen and said:

“My king is calm when people are angry! He’s kind to mean people! He gives to people who don’t want to share! And he tells the truth, even when others lie! That’s just how he is! So, move out of the way!”

When King Mallika and his driver heard that, they got out of their chariot right away. They took out the horses and moved their chariot so the King of Benares could pass! They knew he was the better king!

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