Peace and prosperity

There was a gurukul (a form of school in ancient India) of a saint. The saint used to guide students to follow moral and ethical life, along-with providing the academic knowledge. One day, few students started debating over the topic of peace and prosperity. Few students claimed that for having peace, prosperity is a must; while few others denied any relation among the two. The students reached to the saint for the resolution. The saint listened carefully and then told a story to students for easily understanding the answer.

"Once, there was a king of Vikramgarh kingdom. He had all the luxuries and comforts but he never used to feel peace and contentment within. He always used to live in fear of external attacks. On one day, he went for hunting in forest. He went so far ahead that he forgot the path to return back to palace. While wandering, he saw an old lady. The king asked the lady if she could tell him the path to his palace. The old lady replied, "It is already very dark. Chances are you would again stray in the forests while returning back. Just wait for the morning and then you can return back in daylight." The king agreed and requested the old lady if he could stay in her hut for night. The king was also feeling extremely hungry. He requested the lady if he could get something to eat too.

The old lady replied, "I am going to collect some wooden logs for cooking food. I shall make food after that and then you can have it." When the lady went for collecting wood, the king also accompanied her. He assisted the lady in cutting the wooden logs. The bundle of logs became too heavy for the old lady to carry. The king assisted the lady in carrying the logs back to her hut. He felt peace and contentment in his heart while helping the old lady. The old lady cooked the food. The king enjoyed the food and fell asleep comfortably. Next morning, the old lady gave breakfast to the king and told him the path towards his palace. The king's heart filled with peace and gratitude towards the old lady because of her help, and he came back to the palace happily."

After telling the story, the saint turned towards the students and said, "Now all of you must have understood the difference between peace and prosperity."