English Summary
'In the Kingdom of Fools' is a Kannada folktale translated by A.K. Ramanujan. It is set in a strange kingdom where the king and his minister are complete fools. They have decreed that night should be day and day should be night. Everything costs the same—one duddu (a small coin)—be it a measure of rice or a bunch of bananas. The people of the kingdom sleep during the day and work at night, following their rulers' absurd orders.
A wise guru and his disciple arrive in this kingdom. The disciple is delighted by the cheap food and wants to stay, but the guru realizes the danger of living in a place ruled by fools and leaves. The disciple stays behind and overeats, growing fat. One day, a thief breaks into a rich merchant's house through a wall that collapses and kills him. His brother complains to the king, blaming the merchant for building a weak wall. The king holds the merchant responsible. The merchant, in turn, blames the bricklayer, who blames a dancing girl who distracted him, who blames a goldsmith who kept her waiting, who finally blames the rich merchant's father for rushing him to make jewelry. Since the father is dead, the king decides the son (the merchant) must be executed as he is the heir.
The merchant is too thin to fit the stake, so the king orders a fat man to be found. The fat disciple is chosen. Remembering his guru's wisdom, the disciple prays for him. The guru, using his mystical powers, understands the situation and arrives. He secretly talks to the king and minister, convincing them that whoever dies first on the new stake will be reborn as the king, and the second as the minister, in the next life. Eager for this reward, the foolish king and minister decide to be executed themselves. They die on the stake, and the guru convinces the people to appoint the next two passers-by as their new rulers. The kingdom returns to normalcy, and the guru and disciple leave.
Chapter 4: In the Kingdom of Fools - Hindi Summary (हिंदी सारांश)
'इन द किंगडम ऑफ फूल्स' ए.के. रामानुजन द्वारा अनुवादित एक कन्नड़ लोककथा है। यह एक अजीब राज्य में सेट है जहाँ राजा और उसका मंत्री पूरी तरह से मूर्ख हैं। उन्होंने फरमान जारी किया है कि रात को दिन होना चाहिए और दिन को रात। हर चीज की कीमत एक ही है—एक दुद्दू (एक छोटा सिक्का)—चाहे वह चावल का एक पैमाना हो या केलों का एक गुच्छा। राज्य के लोग दिन के दौरान सोते हैं और रात में काम करते हैं, अपने शासकों के बेतुके आदेशों का पालन करते हुए।
एक बुद्धिमान गुरु और उनके शिष्य इस राज्य में आते हैं। शिष्य सस्ते भोजन से खुश होकर रुकना चाहता है, लेकिन गुरु को मूर्खों के शासन वाली जगह पर रहने का खतरा महसूस होता है और वे चले जाते हैं। शिष्य पीछे रुक जाता है और अधिक खाने से मोटा हो जाता है। एक दिन, एक चोर एक अमीर व्यापारी के घर में दीवार तोड़कर घुसता है जो गिर जाती है और उसे मार देती है। उसका भाई राजा से शिकायत करता है, कमजोर दीवार बनाने के लिए व्यापारी को दोषी ठहराता है। राजा व्यापारी को जिम्मेदार ठहराता है। व्यापारी, बदले में, राजमिस्त्री को दोष देता है, जो एक नर्तकी को दोष देता है जिसने उसका ध्यान भटकाया, जो एक सुनार को दोष देती है जिसने उसे इंतजार कराया, जो अंत में अमीर व्यापारी के पिता को दोष देता है जिसने उसे गहने बनाने के लिए जल्दबाजी कराई। चूंकि पिता मर चुका है, राजा फैसला करता है कि बेटे (व्यापारी) को फांसी दी जानी चाहिए क्योंकि वह वारिस है।
व्यापारी फांसी के खंभे पर फिट होने के लिए बहुत पतला है, इसलिए राजा एक मोटे आदमी को ढूंढने का आदेश देता है। मोटे शिष्य को चुना जाता है। अपने गुरु की बुद्धिमत्ता को याद करते हुए, शिष्य उनके लिए प्रार्थना करता है। गुरु, अपनी रहस्यमय शक्तियों का उपयोग करते हुए, स्थिति को समझते हैं और आ जाते हैं। वह चुपके से राजा और मंत्री से बात करते हैं, उन्हें यह विश्वास दिलाते हैं कि नए खंभे पर पहले मरने वाला व्यक्ति अगले जन्म में राजा के रूप में पुनर्जन्म लेगा, और दूसरा मंत्री के रूप में। इस पुरस्कार के लिए उत्सुक, मूर्ख राजा और मंत्री खुद को फांसी देने का फैसला करते हैं। वे खंभे पर मर जाते हैं, और गुरु लोगों को समझाते हैं कि अगले दो राहगीरों को अपना नया शासक नियुक्त करें। राज्य सामान्य स्थिति में लौट आता है, और गुरु और शिष्य चले जाते हैं।
Character Sketch
The Disciple: A young follower of the guru. He is initially tempted by material pleasures (cheap, abundant food) and ignores his guru's warning about the dangers of the kingdom. His greed leads him to stay, overeat, and grow fat, which eventually puts him in danger of execution. He represents human folly, temptation, and the need for wise guidance. In the end, his faith in his guru saves him.
The Guru: A wise, perceptive, and spiritually powerful sage. He immediately recognizes the unnatural and dangerous state of the kingdom ruled by fools. He tries to warn his disciple and leaves. When his disciple is in mortal danger, he returns and uses his intelligence and understanding of human greed (of the king and minister) to outwit them, saving his disciple and freeing the kingdom from foolish rule. He represents wisdom, foresight, and cunning.
The King and The Minister: They are the epitome of foolishness and irrationality. They impose absurd laws (reversed day/night, fixed price for everything) without any logic. Their justice system is ridiculous, passing blame from one person to another based on illogical connections. Their ultimate foolishness is their greed for rebirth as rulers, which leads them to their own deaths. They symbolize blind authority and the dangers of having fools in power.
10 Previous Year Questions & Solutions
1. What were the two strange things about the Kingdom of Fools? (2020)
Answer: The two strange things were: (1) The night was considered day and the day was considered night. People slept during the day and worked all night. (2) Everything cost the same—just one duddu (a small coin)—whether it was a measure of rice, a bunch of bananas, or any other commodity.
2. Why did the guru decide to leave the Kingdom of Fools? (2022)
Answer: The guru decided to leave because he realized it was dangerous to stay in a kingdom ruled by fools. He understood that their unpredictable and irrational behavior could lead to trouble at any time. He warned his disciple that anything could happen anytime where fools were in charge.
3. Describe the chain of blame in the thief's murder case. (2019)
Answer: The chain of blame was: The thief's brother blamed the merchant for building a weak wall. The merchant blamed the careless bricklayer. The bricklayer blamed a dancing girl who distracted him. The dancing girl blamed the goldsmith who delayed her. The goldsmith blamed the merchant's dead father for rushing him. Ultimately, the king held the living merchant (the heir) responsible.
4. Why was the disciple chosen for execution? (2023)
Answer: The disciple was chosen for execution because he had grown very fat after staying in the kingdom and eating cheap food incessantly. The king's men needed a fat man to fit the stake for the execution, as the original convict, the merchant, was too thin. The disciple, being the fattest man they could find, was arrested.
5. How did the guru save his disciple? (2018)
Answer: The guru secretly told the king and minister that the stake was magical. The first to die on it would be reborn as the king, and the second as the minister, of that kingdom. Greedy to secure these positions for their next life, the foolish king and minister got themselves executed on the stake, thereby saving the disciple.
6. What was the guru's condition for the new king and minister? Did the people accept it? (2021)
Answer: After the king and minister died, the guru told the people to have the first two passers-by the next morning as their new king and minister. The people, having seen the guru's wisdom, accepted his condition. They appointed the next two travellers who came that way as their rulers.
7. What is the moral of the story 'In the Kingdom of Fools'? (2022)
Answer: The moral is that folly and irrationality in leadership lead to chaos and injustice. It also warns against greed and temptation (like the disciple's). Ultimately, wisdom and intelligence (like the guru's) can outwit foolishness. The story suggests that one should avoid places or situations governed by stupidity.
8. How does the story use satire to criticize foolish rulers? (2020)
Answer: The story satirizes foolish rulers by exaggerating their absurdities: reversing day and night, fixing one price for all goods, and delivering a ridiculous judgement by passing blame in a circle. Their ultimate greed for power in the next life leading to their own death is the height of satire, showing how their folly becomes their downfall.
9. "It is better to be wise than to be tempted by cheap things." Explain with reference to the disciple. (2023)
Answer: The disciple was tempted by the cheap food and decided to stay in the kingdom against his guru's advice. This temptation led him to overeat, grow fat, and ultimately be chosen for execution. His lack of wisdom (ignoring the guru's warning) for the sake of cheap pleasure nearly cost him his life, proving that wisdom is more valuable than temporary, cheap temptations.
10. Do you think the title of the story is appropriate? Give reasons. (2019)
Answer: Yes, the title is highly appropriate. The entire story revolves around a kingdom where the rulers (king and minister) are fools, and their foolish laws govern every aspect of life. The plot, including the absurd murder case and its resolution, is driven by their foolishness. The title directly points to the central theme and setting of the tale.
