Once there was a king who began to distribute his land among the landless people. He gave more shares to Pundits than labors. Some people criticized his policy. Hearing it the king said, ‘Pundits are intelligent and wise so they deserve major share than others and this is also the duty of the king to respect them.’
A blacksmith and a water-man, named Raka and Shaka respectively, lived in the same kingdom and both were very intelligent. Hearing the argument of the king in case of unequal distribution of land among the landless, both the friends were sad. One day, they got an idea to prove that the king’s decision was wrong. They both were also landless so they went to the king’s court and demanded the land. The king asked them, ‘How much land do you need.’
The blacksmith, Raka came in front of the king and said, ‘Me lord! I need land as much as the distance between hammer and ear.’ The king thought he needs a very small piece of land for his requirement so the king ordered his minister to fulfill his desire.
After that, the water-man, Shaka came before the king and said with folded hands, ‘O lord! I need that much piece of land in which the water of my sack can be absorbed in to the earth easily.’ The king also accepted his demand and said to his minister to hand over him the demanded piece of land.
After some hours the minister and both the friends came back to the king. The minister complained to the king against them, ‘Both were showing their greed and I am unable to understand their demand.’
The king looked at them and said angrily, ‘What is this non-sense. If you cause hurdle in royal work you will be punished.’ Raka said, ‘Sir, forgive me! I need a piece of land that much you have accepted to give me.’ ‘How much land I have ordered for you,’ the king asked him.
Raka said, ‘Sir, I need land up to where the sound of hammer is heard by the ear.’
The king was buried in thought but couldn’t say no to him. Now the king glanced at Shaka with suspicion and said to the minister what his desire was. The minister said, ‘Sir, he only wants to sprinkle the water of his sack on the land.’
Shaka replied, ‘Sir, water can be absorbed in to the earth easily if it will be sprinkled. But the minister wanted to pour the water at one place.’ Hearing it the king was amazed. Whom he thought were stupid, they had cheated him by many acres of land. Seeing their cleverness like pundits, the king became happy and declared award for them. Both said, ‘Sir, neither we need many acres of land nor any prize. We are happy with doing labor in your kingdom. But we have one request if you like it. You should help all the poor equally.’
Hearing their request, the king became happy and accepted their request as well as stopped partiality in future.