Lesson-4

In the Kingdom of Fools

A Kannada folktale from A.K. Ramanujan’s Folk Tales from India

In the Kingdom of Fools Introduction

Kannada is a regional language spoken primarily in the state of Karnataka. This is a Kannada folk tale. A folktale is a storey that is passed down from generation to generation. It is taken from AK Ramaujan's book 'Folk Tales from India.'

First and foremost, consider the title of the storey, 'In the Kingdom of Fools,' which refers to a state in which people are not as wise or intelligent. The king, his ministers, and his advisers are all fools in this storey. This implies that they are not wise or intelligent. When people like this rule the kingdom, everything that happens is described in this storey.

In the Kingdom of Fools Summary

'In the Kingdom of Fools' is an intriguing storey about a kingdom ruled by a fool. A saint and his disciple arrived in the kingdom one day. The saint was astounded to see that the people slept during the day and worked at night. He was perplexed to discover that all food in the kingdom cost the same—one duddu. He concluded that it was a kingdom of fools and told his disciple to leave. The disciple did not accompany his guru because he was lured by the abundance of cheap food.

One day, a man came to the king seeking justice. He claimed that his brother was engaging in his ancient trade of theft when the wall of a man's house collapsed on him and he died. He requested that the king compensate him. Because the king was a moron, he failed to recognise that the deceased was a criminal. On the contrary, he tried everyone who was involved in the thief's death: the rich merchant who owned the house whose wall had broken, the man who built the wall, the dancing girl who caused the builder to build a weak wall, and the Goldsmith who caused the dancing girl to move around in the street that day. Finally, the king determined that the merchant's father was the true culprit. Because he was no longer alive and his son had inherited all of his property, he would be punished in his father's place.

Another twist occurs when the minister believes that the merchant is too frail to be burned at the stake. The king directs his men to find a fat person to punish in place of the merchant. The men took the disciple to the king because he had become very fat. The helpless man begged his guru for assistance. The guru sees his disciple in distress and rushes to his aid. He employs his intelligence and wisdom to catch the erroneous king. Finally, in place of the Guru and his disciple, the king and his minister are burned at the stake.

The kingdom's people beg the guru and his disciple to become their new king and minister. The guru agreed on the condition that the kingdom operate normally, as all other kingdoms do.

In the Kingdom of Fools Lesson Explanation

In the Kingdom of Fools, both the king and the minister were idiots.

• Idiots: the people who are not intelligent

The king and his minister were both stupid in the Kingdom of Fools.

They didn’t want to run things like other kings, so they decided to change night into day and day into night.

The king and his minister did not want to run their kingdom in the manner of other kings. So they decided to try something new. They began to regard night as day and day as night. They directed that any work completed at night be completed during the day, and any work completed during the day be completed at night.

They ordered that everyone should be awake at night, till their fields and run their businesses only after dark, and go to bed as soon as the sun came up. Anyone who disobeyed would be punished with death.

• Till: here, to cultivate land for farming

They issued an order requiring everyone in the kingdom to work at night. Nobody would be able to sleep at night. Farmers would farm at night, and business owners would conduct business at night. Everyone would go to bed as soon as the sun rose. If someone disobeyed the order, he would be sentenced to death.

The people did as they were told for fear of death. The king and the minister were delighted at the success of their project.

People were afraid that if they did not obey the king's order, they would be sentenced to death, so they obeyed even though it was strange. The king and his minister, both fools, were overjoyed that everyone in the kingdom was obeying their orders.

One day a guru and his disciple arrived in the city. It was a beautiful city, it was broad daylight, but there was no one about. Everyone was asleep, not a mouse stirring. Even the cattle had been taught to sleep by day.

• Stirring: moving around
• guru: saint

One day, a saint and one of his disciples arrived in the kingdom of fools. He noticed that it was a beautiful city and that it was a sunny day, but he couldn't find anyone. They were taken aback. Nobody was awake, according to the author, and not even a mouse was stirring. (Stirring means to move around.) They couldn't find a single mouse moving, implying that it was so quiet because everyone, including the tiniest creatures, the mice, were sleeping. People had trained their cattle to sleep during the day. As a result, both humans and animals were sleeping.

The two strangers were amazed by what they saw around them and wandered around town till evening when suddenly the whole town woke up and went about its nightly business.

• amazed: shocked and surprised

These two strangers to the kingdom of fools had no idea that such an order had been issued in the city. As a result, they were taken aback to discover that everyone was sleeping during the day. They continued to wander around the city until it was dark, at which point everyone awoke and went to work. Farmers were farming and businessmen were doing business.

The two men were hungry. Now that the shops were open, they went to buy some groceries. To their astonishment, they found that everything cost the same, a single duddu — whether they bought a measure of rice or a bunch of bananas, it cost a duddu.

• duddu – money in Kannada language

The guru and his disciple were hungry. They went grocery shopping after the stores opened at night. They were surprised to discover that everything they purchased from the shop cost one duddu. There was a lot of cheap stuff out there. Whether you bought a large bunch of bananas or a large bag of rice, it only cost one duddu. Everything in the Kingdom of Fools was the same price!

The guru and his disciple were delighted. They had never heard of anything like this. They could buy all the food they wanted for a rupee.

The guru and his disciple were overjoyed because food was so cheap in this kingdom. For a rupee, you could buy a lot of food

When they had cooked and eaten, the guru realized that this was a kingdom of fools and it wouldn’t be a good idea for them to stay there.

When the guru and his disciple were cooking and eating their food, the guru realised that the kingdom was a kingdom of fools and decided to leave because it was dangerous for them.

“This is no place for us. Let’s go,” he said to his disciple.

The wise guru told his disciple that the place was not suitable for them and asked him to leave immediately.

But the disciple didn’t want to leave the place. Everything was cheap here. All he wanted was good, cheap food.

This disciple was a foodie, he loved to eat, and he didn't want to leave because the food was cheap there.

The guru said, “They are all fools. This won’t last very long, and you can’t tell what they’ll do to you next.”

Guru tried to make his disciple understand by telling him that everyone out there was a fool and that the situation was extremely dangerous. The kingdom would not last long, and they could harm them as well.

But the disciple wouldn’t listen to the guru’s wisdom. He wanted to stay.

This disciple, who lacks the foresight of his guru, was unable to comprehend what his guru was attempting to convey. He only wanted to live there and eat cheap food.

The guru finally gave up and said, “Do what you want. I’m going,” and left.

Finally, the guru departed on his own, leaving the disciple behind.

The disciple stayed on, ate his fill every day — bananas and ghee and rice and wheat, and grew fat like a street-side sacred bull.

The disciple remained in the kingdom of fools. He ate a lot of food every day, and as a result, he became as fat as a huge bull.

One bright day, a thief broke into a rich merchant’s house. He had made a hole in the wall and sneaked in, and as he was carrying out his loot, the wall of the old house collapsed on his head and killed him on the spot.

A thief broke into a merchant's home one day. To gain access, he drilled a hole in the wall. When he was about to leave the house after looting everything, the wall broke and fell on his head, killing him instantly.

His brother ran to the king and complained, “Your Highness, when my brother was pursuing his ancient trade, a wall fell on him and killed him. This merchant is to blame. He should have built a good, strong wall. You must punish the wrongdoer and compensate the family for this injustice.”

• pursuing: follow
• ancient trade: refers to theft there

The thief's younger brother complained to the king that his brother was engaging in his ancient trade (although robbing is a crime). He died when a wall fell on his head while he was working. The thief's brother took advantage of the king's foolishness. He claimed that the culprit was the merchant whose wall had collapsed on his brother. He should have built a solid wall. He asked the king to punish the merchant and compensate his family.

The king said, “Justice will be done. Don’t worry,” and at once summoned the owner of the house.

• summoned – To call upon someone

The king was so foolish that he overlooked the fact that the deceased was committing theft at the time of his death. He only thought the man died because a wall fell on him, and that the owner of the house whose wall fell on him should be punished. So he called the merchant.

When the merchant arrived, the king questioned him.

“What’s your name?”

“Such and Such, Your Highness.”

“Were you at home when the dead man burgled your house?”

“Yes, My Lord. He broke in and the wall was weak. It fell on him.”

“The accused pleads guilty. Your wall killed this man’s brother. You have murdered a man. We have to punish you.”

The king inquired about the merchant's name as soon as he appeared. The king then asked him if he was at home when the dead man, the thief, broke into his house. The merchant replied that he was only at home. The thief drilled a hole in the wall and entered his home; however, when he attempted to exit, the wall collapsed on him due to its weakness. The king then informed the merchant that he was guilty, that he had done wrong, that the thief had died as a result of his weak wall, and that he would now be punished.

“Lord,” said the helpless merchant, “I didn’t put up the wall. It’s really the fault of the man who built the wall. He didn’t build it right. You should punish him.”

“Who is that?”

“My Lord, this wall was built in my father’s time. I know the man. He’s an old man now. He lives nearby.”

The merchant begged the king, saying, "My lord, it was not my fault." The wall was weak because the person who built it did not do so properly. As a result, you should punish him. He went on to say that the wall was built during his father's time, and that the person who built it was very old. He recognised him because he lived nearby.

The king sent out messengers to bring in the bricklayer who had built the wall. They brought him, tied hand and foot.

• Bricklayer: is a person who lays the bricks and built the walls

As a result, the king sends his soldier to approach the bricklayer who built the wall. They bound his hands and feet and led him into the king's palace.

“You there, did you build this man’s wall in his father’s time?”

“Yes, My Lord, I did.”

The king then asked him if he built the wall, to which he replied that he did.

“What kind of a wall is this that you built? It has fallen on a poor man and killed him. You’ve murdered him. We have to punish you by death.”

The king claimed that the man had constructed a poorly constructed wall. The poor thief was killed when the wall fell on his head. The bricklayer would be executed for his actions.

Before the king could order the execution, the poor bricklayer pleaded, “Please listen to me before you give your orders. It’s true I built this wall and it was no good. But that was because my mind was not on it. I remember very well a dancing girl who was going up and down that street all day with her anklets jingling, and I couldn’t keep my eyes or my mind on the wall I was building. You must get that dancing girl. I know where she lives.”

Everyone is shifting the blame to someone else. He requested that the king listen to him as the king was about to issue an order to execute the bricklayer. He admitted that he did not construct the wall properly. It was caused by a girl who was wandering around the street with her anklets jingling. He couldn't concentrate on his work because her anklet jingled, so he built a weak wall. It was not his fault; it was the girl's fault. He went on to say that he knew where this dancing girl lived. Instead of him, she should be punished.

“You’re right. The case deepens. We must look into it. It is not easy to judge such complicated cases. Let’s get that dancer, wherever she is.”

The explanation provided by the bricklayer satisfied the king. He was convinced by him. He explains that this case is very complicated and will not be solved easily. He directed his messenger to go find the dancer girl.

The dancing girl, now an old woman, came trembling to the court.
“Did you walk up and down that street many years ago, while this poor man was building a wall? Did you see him?”

“Yes, My Lord, I remember it very well.”
“So you did walk up and down, with your anklets jingling. You were young and you distracted him, so he built a bad wall.
It has fallen on a poor burglar and killed him. You’ve killed an innocent man. You’ll have to be punished.”

The dancing girl had grown up and was trembling as she entered the court. Many years ago, the king asked her if she was dancing and roaming around in the lane while the bricklayer was constructing the wall. Her movement diverted his attention. He was confirmed by her. He told her that the bricklayer was distracted by her anklets jingling as she walked around. As a result, he was unable to complete his work properly. He erected a faulty wall, which collapsed on the thief, killing him. The thief died as a result of her actions, and she would be executed.

She thought for a minute and said, “My Lord, wait. I know now why I was walking up and down that street. I had given some gold to the goldsmith to make some jewellery for me.
He was a lazy scoundrel. He made so many excuses, said he would give it now and he would give it then and so on all day. He made me walk up and down to his house a dozen times.

• Goldsmith is a person who makes ornaments out of gold.
• scoundrel: a dishonest person

The dancing girl shifted the blame to someone else. She claimed that she kept returning to this lane because she needed to visit the goldsmith's shop. She had given him some gold to make jewellery out of. He was untrustworthy. He was making excuses for not being able to complete her ornaments on time. He kept asking her to come back later. As a result, she had to visit his house at least a dozen times. So the dancing girl claimed that it was the goldsmith's fault.

That was when this bricklayer saw me. It’s not my fault, My Lord, it’s the damned goldsmith’s fault.”

This dancing girl goes on to say that when the bricklayer saw her and became distracted, it was the fault of the goldsmith, who was the reason she kept roaming down the lane.

“Poor thing, she’s absolutely right,” thought the king, weighing the evidence.
“We’ve got the real culprit at last. Get the goldsmith, wherever he is hiding. At once!”

The king now claims that the poor dancing girl was completely correct. He deliberated for a long time before declaring that they now knew who the true culprit was. He gave the order to bring the goldsmith.

The king’s bailiffs searched for the goldsmith, who was hiding in a corner of his shop. When he heard the accusation against him, he had his own story to tell.

• accusation: to blame someone
• bailiffs: a law officer who makes sure that the decisions of a court are obeyed.

The king's bailiffs went in search of the goldsmith and brought him to the court. The goldsmith was hiding inside his shop because he was afraid he would be arrested. When he was brought before the king, he told the king his side of the storey.

“My Lord,” he said, “I’m a poor goldsmith. It’s true I made this dancer come many times to my door. I gave her excuses because I couldn’t finish making her jewellery before I finished the rich merchant’s orders. They had a wedding coming, and they wouldn’t wait. You know how impatient rich men are!”

He agreed that the dancing girl was correct. He made numerous excuses and forced her to return to his shop several times. However, it was not his fault. He had an order from a wealthy merchant, and they were in a hurry to get their order, which was why the dancing girl's work was being delayed.

“Who is this rich merchant who kept you from finishing this poor woman’s jewellery, made her walk up and down, which distracted this bricklayer, which made a mess of his wall, which has now fallen on an innocent man and killed him? Can you name him?”

The king then requested that the goldsmith name the wealthy merchant.

The goldsmith named the merchant, and he was none other than the original owner of the house whose wall had fallen. Now justice had come full circle, thought the king, back to the merchant. When he was rudely summoned back to the court, he arrived crying, “It wasn’t me but my father who ordered the jewellery! He’s dead! I’m innocent!”

The goldsmith identified the merchant as the same merchant whose house wall had collapsed. The phrase "justice has come full circle" refers to the fact that the storey ended with the same person from whom it began. The thief was killed beneath the wall of the merchant whose jewellery this goldsmith was creating. The merchant was summoned once more. He was crying, knowing that the king was a fool and that he would sentence him to death. He claimed that it was his father who had ordered the jewellery, not him. His father had died, and it was not his fault.

But the king consulted his minister and ruled decisively: “It’s true your father is the true murderer. He’s dead, but somebody must be punished in his place. You’ve inherited everything from that criminal father of yours, his riches as well as his sins. I knew at once, even when I first set eyes on you, that you were at the root of this horrible crime. You must die.”

The king conferred with his minister and determined that the merchant's father was the murderer. Because of him, the thief died. Because the merchant's father was no longer alive and someone had to be punished for the crime, he stated that the merchant's son, who had inherited everything from his father, would also have to bear the consequences of his wrongdoing. He went on to say that when he first saw the merchant, he had a strong suspicion that he was the guilty. The merchant would now have to die, according to the king.

And he ordered a new stake to be made ready for the execution.
As the servants sharpened the stake and got it ready for the final impaling of the criminal, it occurred to the minister that the rich merchant was somehow too thin to be properly executed on the stake. He appealed to the king’s common sense. The king too worried about it.

• stake: a post with a sharp, pointed end used to pierce through something
• execution: an official killing of someone
• impaling: to push a sharp pointed post through something

When this new weapon was being prepared, the minister realised that the merchant was thin and could not be executed in this manner. When he told the king about it, the king became concerned.

“What shall we do?” he said, when suddenly it struck him that all they needed to do was to find a man fat enough to fit the stake.

The king had the bright idea that they should apprehend a man who was large enough to be burned at the stake. The merchant would not be executed because he was too thin to be buried alive with a stake. They considered punishing someone else instead of the merchant – someone who was large enough to be executed with a stake.

The servants were immediately sent all over the town looking for a man who would fit the stake, and their eyes fell on the disciple who had fattened himself for months on bananas and rice and wheat and ghee.

Finally, the king sent his servants throughout the kingdom in search of a man who was large enough to be burned at the stake. They discovered the guru's disciple, who had become extremely obese as a result of overeating.

“What have I done wrong? I’m innocent. I’m a sanyasi!” he cried.
“That may be true. But it’s the royal decree that we should find a man fat enough to fit the stake,” they said, and carried him to the place of execution.

• decree: order

The disciple stated that he was a sanyasi, that he had done nothing wrong, that he was innocent, and that they should not have taken him. The king's servants claimed that he was innocent, but they had been ordered to apprehend a fat man who could be executed with the stake, and he was fit for it, which is why they were accompanying him.

He remembered his wise guru’s words: “This is a city of fools. You don’t know what they will do next.”

The disciple recalls his guru. Guru ji, a wise man, had warned him that it was a city of fools who could harm him. They were now moving him to the execution site.

While he was waiting for death, he prayed to his guru in his heart, asking him to hear his cry wherever he was. The guru saw everything in a vision; he had magic powers, he could see far, and he could see the future as he could see the present and the past.

The helpless disciple prayed to his guru, pleading with him to come to his aid. Because of his magical abilities, the Guru was able to visualise the disciple's message. He was able to see everything. In the vision, he could see the future, the present, and the past.

He arrived at once to save his disciple, who had got himself into such a scrape through love of food.

• scrape: a difficult situation that one has got into

The guru arrived to help his disciple. The disciple was in a difficult and dangerous situation. They were about to execute him despite the fact that he had done nothing wrong. As a result, the guru arrived to rescue him from his situation.

As soon as he arrived, he scolded the disciple and told him something in a whisper.

When the guru saw his disciple, he scolded him for not obeying him and staying back. In his ears, he whispered something.

Then he went to the king and addressed him, “O wisest of kings, who is greater? The guru or the disciple?”
“Of course, the guru. No doubt about it. Why do you ask?”
“Then put me to the stake first. Put my disciple to death after me.”

In his words, the guru attempted to trap the king. He asked him who was more powerful, a guru or his disciple. The king responded that, of course, the guru was superior. As a result, the guru stated, the king must execute him before executing his disciple.

When the disciple heard this, he understood and began to clamour, “Me first! You brought me here first! Put me to death first, not him!”

• clamour: to Insist on something

When the disciple heard his guru's words, he began shouting that he wanted to be the first to die.

The guru and the disciple now got into a fight about who should go first. The king was puzzled by this behaviour. He asked the guru, “Why do you want to die? We chose him because we needed a fat man for the stake.”

When the guru and disciple began arguing about who would die first, the king became perplexed. He inquired of the guru as to why he desired to die. They had apprehended the disciple because he was fat, and they were looking for a fat man who could be burned at the stake.

“You shouldn’t ask me such questions. Put me to death first,” replied the guru.

The guru did not respond. He stated that he wished to die before the death of his disciple.

“Why? There’s some mystery here. As a wise man you must make me understand.”

The king suspected there was some sort of mystery behind it. The guru desired to die before his disciple and was eager to do so. There must be a reason for this.

“Will you promise to put me to death if I tell you?” asked the guru.

The guru requested that the king promise him that he would execute him first if he revealed the secret of why he desired to be executed first.

The king gave him his solemn word. The guru took him aside, out of the servants’ earshot, and whispered to him, “Do you know why we want to die right now, the two of us? We’ve been all over the world but we’ve never found a city like this or a king like you. That stake is the stake of the god of justice. It’s new, it has never had a criminal on it.

The king promised that he would be the first to be executed. The guru then took the king aside and slowly told him that they had travelled all over the world but had never seen a city or a king like him. He went on to say that the stake they'd use to kill the disciple was the stake of justice. It had not yet killed any criminals because it was so new.

Whoever dies on it first will be reborn as the king of this country.

He went on to say that whoever died first on this stake would be reborn as King of the Kingdom. (By telling all of this, he hopes to trap the king.)

And whoever goes next will be the future minister of this country. We’re sick of our ascetic life. It would be nice to enjoy ourselves as king and minister for a while. Now keep your word, My Lord, and put us to death. Me first, remember?”

• Ascetic life is the life of a sanyasi, a strict life, life of discipline

The next person to die would be reborn as a minister of the kingdom. The guru also expressed his dissatisfaction with the life of a sanyasi. He and his disciple wished to live the lives of a king and a minister, respectively. So he says that the king should execute him first so that he can be reborn as a king, and then his disciple should be executed so that he can be reborn as a minister.

The king was now thrown into deep thought. He didn’t want to lose the kingdom to someone else in the next round of life. He needed time. So he ordered the execution postponed to the next day and talked in secret with his minister.

• postpone: to put off something for a later time

The king was deep in thought after hearing the guru. He did not want his kingdom to be taken away from him in the next life. He talked about it with his minister.

“It’s not right for us to give over the kingdom to others in the next life. Let’s go on the stake ourselves and we’ll be reborn as king and minister again. Holy men do not tell lies,” he said, and the minister agreed.

The king told his minister that he did not want his kingdom to be taken away in the next life. He went on to say that the individual was a holy man, and holy men did not tell lies. He claims that they must die first in order to be reborn as king and minister of the kingdom.

So he told the executioners, “We’ll send the criminals tonight. When the first man comes to you, put him to death first. Then do the same to the second man. Those are my orders. Don’t make any mistake.”

The king instructed his executioners that the criminals would be sent at night. They should first execute the person who came first, followed by the execution of the second person. They must be cautious and avoid making any mistakes.

That night, the king and his minister went secretly to the prison, released the guru and the disciple, disguised themselves as the two, and as arranged beforehand with loyal servants, were taken to the stake and promptly executed.

• disguised: a different appearance in order to hide one’s identity

The king and his minister went to the prison where the guru and his disciple were being held late at night. They dressed in the clothes of the guru and his disciple in order to resemble them. They came and took them along and put them in the stake for execution, as told to the servants. As a result of his intelligence, the guru was able to execute his foolish king and minister.

When the bodies were taken down to be thrown to crows and vultures the people panicked.

• panic: fright

When the dead bodies of the king and his minister were taken away to be thrown, the people trembled at the sight of their king and minister's bodies.

They saw before them the dead bodies of the king and the minister. The city was in confusion.

Everyone was trembling because the dead bodies were not those of the guru and his disciple, but of the king and his minister.

All night they mourned and discussed the future of the kingdom. Some people suddenly thought of the guru and the disciple and caught up with them as they were preparing to leave town unnoticed.

Everyone in the kingdom was distraught over the deaths of their king and his minister. Some people felt compelled to visit the guru and his disciple first thing in the morning. The people prevented the guru and his disciple from leaving the kingdom.

“We people need a king and a minister,” said someone. Others agreed. They begged the guru and the disciple to be their king and their minister.

The people of the kingdom decided that they needed a king and a minister, so they asked the guru and his disciple to be the kingdom's new king and minister.

It didn’t take many arguments to persuade the disciple, but it took longer to persuade the guru.

• persuade: convince

The disciple agreed quickly, but it took some time for the guru to agree.

They finally agreed to rule the kingdom of the foolish king and the silly minister, on the condition that they could change all the old laws.
From then on, night would again be night and day would again be day, and you could get nothing for a duddu. It became like any other place.

So the guru agreed to be king of the kingdom on the condition that everyone work during the day and sleep at night from then on. Also, the cost of items would vary rather than being one duddu for everything as was previously the case. It'd be like any other place where everything was priced differently. Finally, the guru transformed the kingdom of fools into a regular kingdom.

About the Author

A.K. Ramanujan was born in Mysore, India, and is a poet, translator, folklorist, and philologist. He received his undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Mysore and Deccan College in Pune, as well as his PhD from Indiana University. Ramanujan's poetry is known for its thematic and formal engagement with modernist transnationalism, and he wrote in both English and Kannada.