Chapter 4 In The Kingdom of Fools

The two strange things that the guru and his disciple notice in the kingdom of fools are as follows:
- Everyone sleeps during the day and carry out their work at night even the cattles too.
- The cost to purchase anything from the market, whether it was a measure of rice or a bunch of banana, it would cost the same one duddu (one rupee).

The disciple decided to live in the kingdom of fools because all they wanted is cheap and good food. He was surprised to know that everything cost a single duddu and was very cheap. According to the guru, staying there wasn't a good idea as they were all fools which could put them into the trouble in future and the king’s men also took him for execution.

Following people were tried in the king’s court:
- The wealthy merchant whose house was burgled was on trial because his house’s wall was very weak which fell upon the burglar and killed him.
- The bricklayer who built the weak wall which collapsed killing the burglar.

- The dancing girl distracted the bricklayer with the sound of her jingling anklets by walking up down the road.
- The goldsmith was on trial because he was responsible for incompleting the dancing girl’s order on time and so she had to visit the goldsmith frequently.
- The merchant’s father convinced the goldsmith to finish his order first. Since the merchant’s father died the merchant had to be executed in his father’s place. The disciple was on trial because a fat man was required to fit the stake and the merchant was too thin to be executed on that stake.

According to the king, the real culprit was the merchant’s father who was dead. But his father was dead and someone had to be punished in his place. He escapes from the punishment because he is too thin to be correctly executed on the stake.

The guru’s words of wisdom were that it was the kingdom of fools which was unsafe for them. He advised the disciple to leave the city because he would not know what they would do next. The disciple remembers this when he was going to be executed for them.

The guru being a wise and intelligent human being tries to confuse the king by expressing his desires to be killed first. Further, he describes a story to the king of becoming the king in the next incarnation. He says that if the person killed by the stake which is new, would be born as a king. Apparently it sounds like a pure lie to save your dear one’s life. Ultimately, he completely convinces the king and is able to pull everybody out of the misery. In order to save the kingdom, king get his minister killed by the stake.