O nce, there lived a hermit with his five hundred disciples in the Himalayan mountains. He belonged to a wealthy brahmin family and had renounced the worldly life because of his realization of the transience of the worldly pleasure.

One day, the ascetic along with his followers visited Varanasi to beg for alms and to spend the rainy season there. There, he and his followers were extended the royal hospitality and served food and shelter in the royal park. At the conclusion of the rainy season when the ascetic begged for his leave from the king the latter requested him to stay there longer by sending back all his followers. The ascetic accepted the royal invitation; and entrusted the responsibility on his chief disciple for the care and instructions of all his followers.

Back to the Himalaya, the chief disciple discharged his duty rather meticulously. Further, having thus spent there for several months, he one day came back to the royal park in Varanasi to pay homage to his guru. There, he apprised him of the activities of his followers in the Himalayas and sought necessary guidance for future course of action.

When the chief disciple was engrossed in discussion with the guru, the king, too, arrived there. The chief disciple was, however, unmindful of the king’s arrival and did not stand up to greet and honour him. The king instead heard him uttering, “Oh, what a great pleasure ! Oh, what a great pleasure !!” The king thought the disciple was greedy and was expressing his gratification after eating some royal dishes, which are scarcely available in forests. So, he gave a contemptuous look at the visiting ascetic.