indeed each seen the same Kingshuk Tree and experienced its magic. But it
was dressed for the season of your birthday when each of you visited. To
truly appreciate the tree, you need to visit in all the seasons which is, of
The Princesses and the Kingshuk Tree
course, impossible because of its invisibility!”
The princesses laughed. They had forgotten that each of their
Relax, be very still and listen – listen carefully to this tale about four
birthdays fell in a different part of the year and that the tree changed with
princesses who lived in a grand palace in a distant land. They were very
the seasons. No wonder it had looked different on each visit!
curious girls, so when they heard about a tree of breathtaking beauty, they
The girls also realized that the only way they would be able to
discover more about the magical Kingshuk Tree was by listening to – and
longed to see it. But this was no ordinary tree – it was a magic tree. Do you
want to know why? Let’s see if we can find out!
learning from – each other and anyone else who’d been lucky enough to
see it.
Now ... the young princesses had been well educated about
everything in their own land – especially about all the animals, flowers and
trees that could be found there. They even had a zoo in the palace, with
exotic birds and animals from all over the world. And the collection of
trees and flowers in the palace gardens was said to be beyond compare. So
What we first see may not always give us the whole picture. A wise person
the princesses were so intrigued by what they heard that they were
knows that to discover the truth about anything, they must learn from
determined to see it. That very day, after their lessons, they went to find
other people’s insights as well as their own.
the gardener and asked him to take them to see this wonderful tree.
“It would be my pleasure, your Highnesses!” said the gardener. “But
the Kingshuk Tree is a magic tree: people can only see it on their birthday.
The rest of the time it is invisible. So I will only be able to take you one at a
time, and you will each have to wait until your birthday.”
The princesses agreed and decided that it was only right and proper
for the eldest to go first.
Dharmachari Nagaraja
Buddha at bedtime
London, Duncan Baird Publishers, 2010
And so it was that on the eldest princess’s birthday, a bright spring
morning, the gardener and the girl set out to find the Kingshuk Tree. After
walking for a while, they came to the edge of the royal forest where the
birthday of the fourth and youngest princess arrived. Now the gardener
gardener said that it grew.
took her, too, to visit the Kingshuk Tree. She asked
The princess saw a tall, willowy tree standing apart,
moonlight. And, sure enough, its silvery branches, wet
was indeed the magical Kingshuk. She stood entranced by
with dew, looked spectacular and sparkled as if they were
the beautiful tree: its small green leaves were unfurling like
dressed in silver threads laced with tiny diamonds. She felt
sparkling emeralds and the princess was filled with its joyful
as if the mystical tree was wrapping her in its warmth and
energy. As they left, the gardener asked her not to talk about
magic.
magic for her sisters.
be
taken at night as she wanted to see it in the
but the gardener could see nothing, so she knew that this
what had happened so that she wouldn’t spoil the tree’s
to
The day after the youngest princess’s visit, the four girls went to
thank the gardener for taking them all to see the magical Kingshuk Tree.
As spring rolled into summer, the second eldest
Relieved that they could discuss it among themselves at last, the eldest
princess celebrated her birthday and the gardener took her to
princess said, “I will never forget that beautiful tree with its tiny leaves
find the Kingshuk Tree. She gasped when she saw it, for it was
shimmering like emeralds in the afternoon sun.”
an explosion of deep-red blossoms, glowing like rubies. The
“But, sister, you must be mistaken!” cried the second oldest
princess swooned as she smelled the heavenly perfume of the
Princess. “The Kingshuk Tree was covered in huge ruby-red blossoms and
magic flowers, which filled her with a great sense of
its heady perfume filled me with great feelings of happiness.”
happiness. The gardener asked her, too, not to discuss the
tree until all the girls had seen it.
The hot summer days were turning to autumn when the gardener
“Oh no, sisters, you are both quite wrong,” insisted the third
Princess. “The Kingshuk Tree was heavy with luscious purple fruits, which
sparkled like giant amethysts.”
brought the third princess to see the Kingshuk Tree on her birthday. Her
“Well, sisters, I think you must have seen different trees!” cried the
eyes widened when she saw its boughs crammed with luscious purple
youngest princess. “The Kingshuk’s branches were covered in threads of
fruits, which hung from the tree like giant amethysts. The magic tree was
glittering dew that enchanted me with their magic.”
so enticing that she felt as if it were feeding her with its goodness and
Had the sisters not been so well-mannered, there might have been an
generosity. And once again, the gardener asked her, like her sisters, not to
argument. But instead they simply wondered if they had seen four
talk about the tree until all four princesses had seen it.
different trees.
Finally, as winter chased the last autumn leaves from the trees, the
The gardener laughed. “Your Highnesses,” he said calmly, “you have