Eavesdropping: “Aye bhai!”

At the railway station, a commuter rushing down the staircase:

“Aye bhai… o Lal Shirt wala, zara jaldi chal na, train nikal jayegi!”

Kahat Kishoreji: An old wise man and his words

There was once a valorous and just king who was loved very much by his subjects. All was well till the neighboring kingdoms ganged up to attack him. The king decided to go into battle, leading his troops from the front.
As he was leaving the palace his old and faithful prime minister came up with a folded piece of paper and said, “Take this but read it only when you feel that all is lost.”
It was a tough battle but even though the king and his men fought bravely, they were heavily outnumbered and started to retreat. The king started to lose his men in great numbers. With no option left, he fled from the scene and took refuge in a ditch in one corner of the battlefield.
He hid there for a few hours. When he heard the sound of horse hooves he concluded the enemy was nearby and his death was imminent. But the sound faded away and the king was once again left alone.
It was then that he remembered his prime minister’s note and opened it.
On it were written the words: “This too shall pass…”
Charged up, the king realised that in his present position he had nothing to lose.
He let out a loud battle cry, rallied his remaining soldiers and went into  battle. They fought bravely and won the war.
There were joyous celebrations as the king led his victorious army back home. As musicians and dancers from the royal durbar put up impromptu performances, the king’s subjects showered him with rose petals.
As he approached the palace, the king’s prime minister came up alongside him and whispered: “Remember the note I had given you? Read it now.”
“Now, pradhan mantriji?” asked the king. “But is it relevant even now, in the midst of all this joy ?”
“Yes, you need to imbibe the wisdom of those words now more than ever.”
The king opened the note once again, understood his wise prime minister’s wise message and smiled as he read:
“This too shall pass.”
Bad times don’t last for ever. But then, neither do good times.