Once upon a time there was an old man called Sthira, who
lived alone in a village. He would go about his business alone, even in
his old age. He was a nice, friendly man who was liked by all the people
in the village. They would often come over to the old man’s house and
express their sympathy that his only son had gone so far away to study.
They wondered aloud if his son would ever return. To all their concern,
Sthira would always thank them and say, "Whatever happens, happens for
the good."
Barely a few days had passed, when one day, Sthira’s son
fell off a horse’s back and broke his leg. Once again the entire village
came over to Sthira’s house to express their concern. And once again
the old man thanked them for their sympathy and said, "Whatever happens,
happens for the good." Some of the villagers were surprised to hear
this and wondered what good could there possibly be in a broken leg.
A few days later, a small army of the local king came to the village
and recruited all able-bodied young men into the army. When they came to
Sthira’s house they found his son with a broken leg. So they left him
behind. Once again, all the villagers came to the old man’s house to
congratulate him for his good luck. And like always, the old man thanked
them for their concern and said, "Whatever happens, happens for the
good."
By: Ajay Jaiman; Illustrations by Amarjeet Malik
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