King Bhoj and the Stolen Necklace

- This never happened, so what is this Pandit saying?

- “Why do you ask me this? Do you not know how this necklace came to me?”

- Jivram Joshi

O nce upon a timt, in the royal palace of Dharanagari, King Bhoj was asleep.

That day, King Bhoj had a beautiful necklace of diamonds and pearls around his neck. Before going to bed, he sat on the bed, took off the necklace, and placed it beside his pillow.

Night slowly moved on.

Sweet sleep began to deepen.

Morning arrived and King Bhoj woke up. He looked beside his pillow.

The necklace was gone!

"Perhaps it fell down," he thought.

He looked below and searched around.

But the necklace was not to be found.

The King shouted aloud.

Servants, guards, attendants-all came running. Everyone searched to find where the necklace went and who might have stolen it. The whole palace was checked. The King had placed it beside his pillow at night-who could have taken it?

But no trace of the necklace was found.

***

In a large jeweler's shop, where jewels worth lakhs of rupees were bought and sold, a strange thing happened.

A learned Brahmin (Panditji) came and said: "I have a necklace to sell."

The jeweler asked: "Show me."

The Pandit showed the necklace.

The moment the jeweler looked at it, he was startled.

"This is King Bhoj's necklace!" he thought.

Quietly, the jeweler said: "Panditji, this necklace is indeed of real diamonds-but how did it come into your hands?"

Panditji replied: "Ask me that later. First tell me-will you buy it or not? And how much will you pay?"

The jeweler said: "Of course we are here to buy! Tell me, how much do you want?"

The Pandit said: "O jeweler, this is not some vegetables that you will bargain for. You tell me how much you will give, and fix the price."

The jeweler looked at the necklace again and again. After some thought he said: "Let me just consult my accountant."

The Pandit agreed.

The jeweler went into the next room where his staff sat. He whispered to the accountant: "The thief of King Bhoj's necklace has come here. Quickly send news to the chief officer. Till then, I will keep him busy in talk."

Arranging so, the jeweler returned and began bargaining with the Pandit about the price.

Soon, the chief officer and guards arrived. They seized the Pandit and took away the necklace.

The Pandit cried and shouted, but no one listened to his protests. He was dragged away straight to prison.

When King Bhoj heard this, he was greatly surprised. "How could a Pandit sneak into the palace in the dark of night and steal my necklace?"

It was decided that judgment of this "Pandit thief" would be held in the royal court.

***

When the day of judgment arrived, news spread and many townspeople gathered in the court to witness it.

The Pandit was brought and made to stand before the King.

King Bhoj asked: "Tell me, Panditji, how did you enter the palace and steal this necklace? Do not lie."

Panditji replied: "Maharaj, I am astonished! Why do you ask me this? Do you not know how this necklace came to me?"

The King was puzzled. "What are you saying? We do not understand. Are you trying some trick?"

The Pandit said, irritated: "If I had wished to trick you, Maharaj Bhoj, would I have brought the necklace in my own hands?"

The King said: "Then what do you mean?"

The Pandit answered: "Maharaj, have you forgotten that night? You had gone out in disguise to see the city. I recognized you. At that time, you yourself took off this necklace and gave it to me as a gift!"

Hearing this, King Bhoj was stunned. He said: "This never happened."

The Pandit laughed bitterly and said: "Remember, Maharaj! That night you had a dark shawl covering you. I was lying on my verandah. My eyes opened suddenly and I saw you. You were reciting a couplet as you walked by:

A donkey may wear the lion's dress,

But never will the lion take it as his own.

You repeated this line again and again, but then paused-perhaps thinking of the next line. When you shifted your shawl a little, I saw the diamond necklace shine on your chest. I knew only King Bhoj could wear such a necklace. And who else but Bhoj could compose couplets while walking?

So I completed the line and called out:

And sometimes Shiva may wear ashes,

Yet among thousands, a true ascetic he is known.

When you heard me, you looked at me. I bowed and said: 'Victory to King Bhoj!' At that moment you removed your necklace and gifted it to me. Later, I took it to sell to the jeweler. Now, Maharaj, will you call this story false?"

King Bhoj was lost in thought. "This never happened, so what is this Pandit saying?"

The whole court was frozen in silence.

At that moment, a young man stood up. He was sitting among the Pandits.

The young man said: "Maharaj, what this Panditji says is true."

King Bhoj was even more surprised. "How can you say this is true?"

The young man replied: "Maharaj, the truth is-it was not you, but me. My father is a skilled thief. Once in five or ten years, he commits a theft-stealing a little from the treasure of a rich man. Yet he sent me to school. I became absorbed in studies, and in time I became a Pandit of six scriptures.

One day I argued with my father. He said: 'Stealing too is an art.'

I said: 'No, father, stealing is a sin.'

He said: 'Any fool can sin, but not everyone can steal. You are the son of a great thief, yet you cannot steal, because you lack the skill.'

I said: 'It is not skill, it is sin. But if I wish, I too can steal like you.'

He said: 'Then prove it. Go and bring King Bhoj's necklace from the palace.'

Thus, the challenge was set between us. I planned my move, and at night I entered the palace. I reached your bedchamber and found the necklace right beside your pillow. I took it and left.

As dawn neared, I wore the necklace around my own neck, covered myself with a dark shawl, and was going out. As I walked, a thought came to me: I may wear King Bhoj's necklace, but I will never become King Bhoj. These lines came to my lips:

A donkey may wear the lion's dress,

But never will the lion take it as his own.

This Panditji saw me and thought I was King Bhoj in disguise. He recognized the necklace and believed me to be you. To honor that, I thought: 'If he takes me to be King Bhoj, I must respect the King's dignity.' So I removed the necklace and gifted it to him."

Now the whole truth was revealed to King Bhoj and the entire court.

King Bhoj, pleased with the honesty of the young Pandit, removed a pearl necklace from his own neck and gifted it to the young man.