The minister said, “O King, that king is very powerful. Even in summer it would be difficult to conquer him. Now it is winter. We will have such trouble! Can you not wait for winter to pass by?”
The king became angry. He said, “You have to listen to me! Otherwise, I will find another minister.”
“I am giving you good advice,” said the minister. “If we fight during the winter we may lose. But I am always at your command. You know what is best for your kingdom. I shall work very, very hard and in a few days’ time everything will be ready.”
Then the minister went to the prince. He showed him a very sad face and started weeping. The prince said, “My father likes you very much. But if you weep, what will people think of you?”
The minister said to the prince, “What should I do?”
The prince said, “You are my father’s advisor, and you want me to be your advisor?”
The minister said, “Your father wants to wage war against a neighbouring king. But in winter it is always cold and raining. So how is your father going to win? He says he will fire me if I don’t prepare for battle. But I have such love for your father that I want to stop him from waging war now even if he fires me. If he fights now, he will definitely lose.”
The prince said, “Tomorrow I will save you. My father is always very affectionate to me, and he always listens to my loving demands.” The minister was so happy that the prince was going to save him.
The following morning the prince dug a small hole in the ground and put a mango seed inside the hole. Then he covered it with dirt and started watering it.
When the king saw him he said, “Why are you watering the ground?”
The prince explained, “There is a mango seed there.”
The father said, “Since it is winter there will be plenty of water. It rains so many times during winter.”
The son said, “Father, if I do this, then it will expedite its growth. If the mango plant ordinarily comes up in three months’ time, will it not come up in two or three days if I water it more?”
The father said, “You fool! In the rainy season more water is not needed at all. If you continue to water it, the hole will fill up with water and perhaps the mango seed will come out of the ground.”
The prince said, “Father, in winter every day it rains. When it is pouring people can’t see anything at all. Yet this is the time you are planning to attack somebody else’s kingdom. The enemy has shelter and food supplies, whereas you will have no shelter or supplies at all. So how are you going to conquer his kingdom? You will see that you will lose because of the rain.
“It is like watering this mango seed. I can’t expedite the growth of the plant no matter how much water I put on it. The seed will only come out of the ground instead of growing into a plant. The water will work to my disadvantage. Similarly, if it is raining and your soldiers attack the other king, they will be destroyed. No matter how many soldiers you send, they will all be killed.
“If you show your capacity in the spring, then you will be able to win. But if you go in the winter, you will only bring disgrace to your kingdom.”
The father believed the son and called off the attack.From:Sri Chinmoy,Is your mind ready to cry? Is your heart ready to smile? part 5, Agni Press, 1981
Sourced from https://srichinmoylibrary.com/mrc_5