This little jewel of a kingdom was ruled by a very generous and devoted King who had three sons. The King was getting old and so his concern for the well being of his people after his death was increasing each day.

The King was known for his righteousness and justice. He was impartial and did not immediately favor his sons to become heirs to the royal throne. He wanted to find the most suitable person to be crowned as King after his death.

So he summoned a committee of his top advisors to find him the next King. They searched far and wide looking into distant corners of the kingdom to find the most eligible leader. However after much consideration they all came up with a unanimous decision. They felt that all the virtues required to be King were present only in the King’s three sons.

So the King went to his eldest son and asked him to become the next King. But the oldest Prince was so humble that he told his father that the youngest Prince had better qualities of a leader. And when the King asked the youngest Prince, he lovingly recommended the second-born Prince.

The King was touched by the love and humility of his children. But he was still worried by the question of finding the most suitable King. So he came up with a plan. He gave each of his sons a room and asked them to fill it with something that would help the kingdom.

After six months he visited the first son. He was curious to know what his eldest son had used the room for. When he opened the room he found that his son had filled up the whole room with grains. The eldest prince explained, “Sometimes we have droughts in our kingdom. This would help our people in times of such starvation.” The king was pleased with his son and went ahead to meet the second son.

When he opened the second room, the King found the entire room filled with cotton. The second Prince explained, “Cotton can be compressed and so one is able to store a lot more of it. During winters our people suffer a lot. This cotton would provide them with adequate blankets and this way our people will be able to sleep well, have beautiful dreams and a vision for a better tomorrow.” The King was very pleased with his explanation.

Now the King went to the third Prince. He entered the room, and was surprised to see the entire room empty except for a small candle burning in the center of the room. The King was confused and looked up at his son. The son lovingly sat by his father’s feet and explained, “Father, I will work hard towards making my life like this candle. And just as the light of this candle is lluminating every corner of this room, I will immerse the entire kingdom in the light of wisdom, love and goodness.”

The King felt that he learnt the most important lesson of his life through his youngest son. He crowned him the next King with the blessings of his brothers and the joy of the entire kingdom.