That is Good
a tale from India

Long ago in India a king ruled the land. Always by his side was his minister, who was known for his wisdom, but also for a strange habit that often annoyed the king. For no matter what happened, he always responded by saying, "That is good, that is good."

One day the king was out hunting when his horse was startled by a large snake. The king was thrown from the horse and dragged some distance, in the process deeply cutting his foot and losing a toe. As his minister knelt beside him to inspect the damage he said, "That is good, that is good."

"How can you say that is good?" the king screamed in out­rage. "What kind of minister are you? You are dismissed from your post immediately."

"That is good," said the minister, "that is good," and off he went to the palace to pack his bags.

The king returned home and his foot eventually healed, minus the toe. Again one day he decided to go hunting. This time he became separated from his hunting party. Suddenly he was ambushed by the tribal people who lived near those woods. He was tied up and taken back to their village.

Now these tribal people had a custom of sacrificing their prisoners (the king in this case) to their god. They prepared him for the sacrificial celebration, washing and decorating him. The celebration began with music and dancing as he was led to the slaughtering place like a goat. The king shook with terror from head to foot. He nearly fainted when the priest carne forward waving a long knife. The priest danced around him, inspecting him from every angle. Suddenly he motioned for the music and dancing to stop. "This-one is no good," he said. "He has been cut." He pointed to the missing toe. "We cannot sacrifice to God something that has already been cut." The priest slashed at the vines that bound the king's hands and legs, and set him free. The king limped back to the palace as quickly as he could.

Once back in the safety of his palace, the king remembered his minister and called for him. He told him the story and said, "You were right. It was good that my toe was lost. Because of it, I was not sacrificed by the tribal people. But why did you say `This is good' when I fired you from your post?"

"There is always some good to come out of things, your high­ness," replied the minister. "If I had not been fired, I would have been with you that day when you were captured by the tribal people. Because I have all of my toes, I would have been next in line for the sacrifice."

"You are truly right, my friend," said the king. "That was good, that was good indeed, and so is your wisdom. You shall advise me always." And he did. And it was good.

Elisa Davy Pearmain (editor)

Doorways to the soul

Cleveland, The Pilgrim Press, 1998