Q. What are the two strange things the guru and his disciple find in the Kingdom of Fools?
Ans. The Guru and the disciple found that in the Kingdom of Fools people used to work during nights and sleep during days. Everything was cheap and cost the same.
Q. Why does the disciple decide to stay in the Kingdom of Fools? Is it a good idea?
Ans. Everything was cheap in the Kingdom of Fools. The disciple had peculiarity of diet. He was tempted by the cheap food. So, he decided to stay in that kingdom. It was not a good idea to stay there for a long time as one could be in danger any time because of unpredictable behaviour of fools.
Q. Name all the people who are tried in the king’s court, and give the reasons for their trial.
Ans. The owner of the house i.e. the merchant, the bricklayer, the dancing girl and the goldsmith were tried in the king’s court. They all were tried as the thief died when the wall of merchant’s house collapsed. The merchant was tried for building a weak wall. The bricklayer was tried for doing his work carelessly. The dancing girl was tried for disturbing the concentration of the bricklayer. The goldsmith was blamed for making the dancing girl walk up and down to his house a dozen times.
Q. Who is the real culprit according to the king? Why does he escape punishment?
Ans. The merchant’s dead father was held responsible for making the wall weak. But according to the king the rich merchant was the real culprit because he had inherited both sins and riches of his father. He escaped the punishment because he was too thin to fit the stake.
Q. What are the Guru’s words of wisdom? When does the disciple remember them?
Ans. The Guru was full of wisdom and knew well that the unpredictable behaviour of the fools could create danger anytime. The Guru’s words were, “They are all fools. This won’t last very long, and you can’t tell what they’ll do to you next”. The disciple remembered them when he was arrested by the men of the king to execute merely because he fitted the stake. It was because of the Guru’s words of wisdom that the execution was postponed.
Q. How does the Guru manage to save his disciple’s life?
Ans. The Guru arrived on time to save his disciple and created a drama. He told the king that it was not an ordinary stake and whoever went to the stake first would become the king in next life. The second to die would become his minister. The king wanted to avail himself of the opportunity. The Guru and his disciple were released. Thus the Guru managed to save his disciple’s life.