The Sure Cure

The Legacy of Kirtipur

Kirtipur was a large village with several well-to-do families residing in it. Raghavacharya, the physician, was the pride of the village. He was a great scholar of Ayurveda, the ancient Indian medical science, and he cured innumerable patients of difficult diseases.

The Careless Heir

Raghavacharya’s only son, Sundaracharya, never cared to learn the science properly despite his father’s repeated efforts to teach him. He wasted his time in the company of a few vagabonds.

A Change in Circumstances

However, after Raghavacharya died, Sundar had to pay attention to the profession for the sake of his livelihood. People knew he was insincere, but they would whisper among themselves, “If the son knows even one-fourth of what his great father knew, he should be a good enough physician.”

The Harsh Realization

But Sundar was all too aware that he did not possess even one-hundredth of his father’s knowledge. Nevertheless, he tried to manage with bombastic words and a bit of acting. At times, he endangered his patients’ lives due to incorrect treatments, but the villagers attributed these incidents to bad luck.

A New Challenger Arrives

A few years later, a young villager named Ram Sharma returned to Kirtipur after completing his training as a physician and set up practice. His arrival coincided with a critical illness plaguing the village that would soon change the course of Sundar’s life.

The King’s Dilemma

A Question of Justice

For his crime through negligence, the king was to be imprisoned for ten years. However, Pravin loved the new king too much to allow him to be punished. He met with Shekhar Sharma and said, “Father! If the book was written under God’s direction, tell me how to please God and change the law with His approval.”

The Weight of Responsibility

Shekhar replied, “Fool! I had resorted to the belief that the book is considered inviolable. A wise king could not be a tyrant.” He continued, “According to that, the law cannot apply to the king and the commoner in the same way. The king, who has great responsibilities, has to be above the ordinary law!”