One day, God knows why or how, the king invited the old minister to join him in a day of hunting. The minister was shocked. At the same time, he did not dare to disagree with the king. He wanted to please the king by all possible means, so he accompanied the king.
The king and his entourage, including the minister, spent the whole day hunting. Fortunately or unfortunately, they did not come across any animal. The king was extremely sad. In order to console him, the minister said, “At other times you were always successful. This time I carried bad luck. That is why no animal appeared. In the future, please do not take me if you really want to be successful in your hunting.”
The king said, “Fine! I shall not invite you any more, if that is what you wish. Or do you want to come with me again?”
The minister said, “No, no! I am absolutely sure. I prefer to remain in the palace.”
That evening the minister returned to his own home. His wife was very curious to know how the hunting went. She asked, “How many tigers and how many lions did you come across today?”
The minister replied, “I had an excellent day, a simply excellent day!”
“Tell me all about it,” demanded his wife. “How many animals did you hunt?”
The minister said, “How many? Can you not see that I have come home so happy?”
“Yes,” said his wife. “I am seeing that you are beaming with happiness. That is why I am asking you about your hunting expedition with the king.”
“You fool!” exclaimed the minister. “Had I seen a tiger or lion, would I not have fainted immediately? I would have died on the spot! Then you would have felt miserable that you had lost your husband. I am so happy because I did not see any tiger or lion or any other animal. I am very happy and you should also be very happy that we did not see any animal. Because of that, you still have a husband!”From:Sri Chinmoy,Life’s bleeding tears and flying smiles, part 7, Agni Press, 2001
Sourced from https://srichinmoylibrary.com/lts_7