On ‘The Wise King’ by Khalil Gibran: Time can take away even Enlightenment

The following is an excerpt from a samvaad (dialogue) session with Acharya Prashant.

The Wise King

Once there ruled in the distant city of Wirani, a king who was both mighty and wise. And he was feared for his might and loved for his wisdom. Now, in the heart of that city was a well, whose water was cool and crystalline, from which all the inhabitants drank, even the king and his courtiers; for there was no other well. One night when all were asleep, a witch entered the city, and poured seven drops of strange liquid into the well, and said, “From this hour he who drinks this water shall become mad.” Next morning all the inhabitants, save the king and his Lord Chamberlain, drank from the well and became mad, even as the witch had foretold. And during that day the people in the narrow streets and in the market did naught…