It's Not Always Good to be the King

There are many examples within these stories how, although being a supreme ruler may sound like the ultimate in luxury, in actuality, the sacrifices that a king must make in the name of his crown, or for the greater good of his subjects, often would lead to extreme suffering. Often, this suffering occurs at the hands of the gods or higher beings, who wish to test the kings to determine whether they are capable of living up to their merit as a ruler of the people. In the story of Harischandra, for example, King Harischandra, ruler of Ayodhya, is tested by the other-worldly sage known as Viswamitra. Certain obstacles are placed in the king's path, so that as a result, he must surrender his entire kingdom and treasury over to a stranger and sell his wife and son into slavery. To...