Namaste, Welcome to SAM-VAD (Together In Conversation), Last week I drew your attention to one of many, \u2018Teaching Stories\u2019. This week I bring to your attention yet another story which is extracted from an interesting and thought provoking work, \u2018World Tales\u2019 by Idries Shah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2018World Tales,\u2019 is divided into five volumes and contains stories from great works like Panchatantra<\/em>, Thousand and One Nights, <\/em>Straparola, Boccaccio, Chaucer and Shakespeare and a dozen others which now form the basis of the classic literature of Europe and Asia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Two Travellers<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n There was once two men, one good and one bad, who went on a journey together. They were in quest of their fortune. The good man shared his food with his companion until it was all finished.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The good man then asked: \u2018May I have some of your food?\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2018Certainly not,\u2019 said the other, and he became so irrationally infuriated that he plucked out the eyes of his unfortunate partner, robbed him of everything he had, and left him alone and helpless in the wilderness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The blinded good man became aware of some birds singing, and decided to climb, feeling his way, into the tree in whose topmost branches they were, to be safe from any prowling wild beasts, at least until the morning, when he might be able to think of some way of continuing his journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now it so happened that he found that he could understand the language of the birds. As he listened, he learnt from their discussion that any blind person who bathed his eyes in the dew of that place would have his sight restored. Further, the birds said that the daughter of a certain king was ill, but could be healed by the use of a flower which grew nearby. The same flower had the power of locating water and restoring fertility to gardens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The blind man immediately bathed his eyes in the dew and found that he could see. Then he plucked the plant. He made his way to the place where the Princess was ill and, having gained admittance, cured her. When he made the King\u2019s garden flourish again and found water which was badly needed, he was rewarded by being given the hand of the Princess in marriage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He continued happily in life, until the villain who had blinded him turned up gain, having heard of his inexplicable good fortune. The miscreant asked him how he had arrived at such a happy and prosperous state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2018It was quiet simple, in fact,\u2019 said the honest man, for he was one who bore no ill-will. \u2018All I did was go up a certain tree, and I heard what to do from the birds, whose speech I suddenly understood.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n The bad man thereupon hurried to the place where he had blinded his companion, and waited. Presently the birds arrived and perched on the top of the tree. He found that he understood their speech. They said:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2018Someone has overheard our conversation, for the King\u2019s daughter is now well, the garden is blossoming, and water has been found!\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n They looked all around to see whether an eavesdropper was about, saw the bad man, flew down \u2013 and pecked out his eyes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n World Tales – Idries Shah<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Many traditional tales have a surface meaning (perhaps just a socially uplifting one) and a secondary, inner significance, which is rarely glimpsed consciously, but which nevertheless acts powerfully upon our minds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n You can buy your copy from any of the bookstores near you or via any on-line portal selling books or also by clicking the following link: <\/p>\n\n\n\n