In a kingdom where superstitions held sway, a man's unfortunate visage earned him a reputation as an ill omen. Whispers of his supposed wretchedness reached the ears of the king, prompting him to investigate the matter firsthand.
Summoning the man to his palace, the king offered him shelter for the night, intending to observe his countenance the following morning. As dawn broke, the king hastened to meet the man, his stomach empty from a busy day's duties.
Convinced by his own hunger that the man's face indeed bore an unlucky aura, the king swiftly issued a decree of death. However, his decision did not go unchallenged.
One of his wise ministers, upon hearing of the sentence, approached the king with a gentle inquiry. "Why condemn this innocent man to death?" he questioned.
The king, startled by the minister's audacity, defended his judgment. "His face brought me such misfortune that I could not even partake of a single meal today," he asserted.
But the minister, undeterred, offered a perspective that shook the king to his core. "Consider, Maharaj," he began, "while you may have missed a meal due to encountering his face, this man's first sight upon waking was your decree of death. Who, then, is truly burdened with misfortune?"
The king, struck by the minister's words, realized the error of his judgment. In that moment of enlightenment, he understood that perception shapes reality, and that no face carries inherent wretchedness.
With newfound clarity, the king rescinded his order and granted the man his freedom. From that day forth, he resolved to view the world through a lens of compassion and understanding, guided by the wisdom of his minister and the realization that true misfortune lies not in appearance, but in the way we perceive and interpret the world around us.