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Three Questions

Leo Tolstoy is considered one of the greatest authors of all time. He is known for his realistic fiction works War and Peace and Anna Karenina. The story describes a king who seeks answers from wise men on three questions: when to act, which people are most important, and what matters most. However, the wise men provide different answers that do not satisfy the king. He then visits a hermit and helps him with manual labor. That night, an injured enemy arrives and the king cares for his wounds, gaining his loyalty. In the morning, the hermit continues working silently, implying that the king found his answers through his good deeds instead of words.

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194 views14 pages

Three Questions

Leo Tolstoy is considered one of the greatest authors of all time. He is known for his realistic fiction works War and Peace and Anna Karenina. The story describes a king who seeks answers from wise men on three questions: when to act, which people are most important, and what matters most. However, the wise men provide different answers that do not satisfy the king. He then visits a hermit and helps him with manual labor. That night, an injured enemy arrives and the king cares for his wounds, gaining his loyalty. In the morning, the hermit continues working silently, implying that the king found his answers through his good deeds instead of words.

Uploaded by

khushi.rajput
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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THREE QUESTIONS

BY LEO TOLSTOY
LEO TOLSTOY
• Count Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy, usually referred to
in English as Leo Tolstoy, was a Russian writer
regarded as one of the greatest authors of all time. He
received nominations for the Nobel Prize in Literature
every year from 1902 to 1906 and for the Nobel Peace
Prize in 1901, 1902, and 1909.Russian author Leo
Tolstoy is considered a master of realistic fiction and
one of the world's greatest novelists, especially known
for Anna Karenina and War and Peace. Oscillating
between skepticism and dogmatism, he explored the
most diverse approaches to human experience.
THREE QUESTIONS [TEXTBOOK]
The thought came to a certain king that he would never fail if he knew three
things. These three things were: What is the right time to begin something?
Which people should he listen to? What is the most important thing for him
to do? The king, therefore, sent messengers throughout his kingdom,
promising a large sum of money to anyone who would answer these three
questions. Many wise men came to the king, but they all answered his
questions differently. In reply to the first question, some said the king must
prepare a timetable, and then follow it strictly. Only in this way, they said,
could he do everything at its proper time. Others said that it was impossible
to decide in advance the right time for doing something. The king should
notice all
that was going on, avoid foolish pleasures, and
KING
always do whatever seemed necessary at that time. Yet others said that the
king needed a council of wise men who would help him act at the proper
time. This was because one man would find it impossible to decide correctly,
without help from others, the right time for every action. But then others
said that there were some things which could be urgent. These things could
not wait for the decision of the council. In order to decide the right time for
doing something, it is necessary to look into the future. And only magicians
could do that. The king, therefore, would have to go to magicians. In their
answers to the second question, some said that the people most necessary
to the king were his councillors; others said, the priests. A few others chose
the doctors. And yet others said that his soldiers were the most necessary. To
the third question, some said science. Others chose fighting, and yet others
religious worship. As the answers to his questions were so different, the king
was not satisfied and gave no reward. Instead, he decided to seek the advice
of a certain hermit, who was widely known for his wisdom. The hermit lived
in a wood which he never left. He saw no one but simple people, and so the
king put on ordinary clothes. Before he reached the hermit’s hut the king left
his horse with his bodyguard, and went on alone.
As the king came near the hermit’s hut, he saw the
hermit digging the ground in front of hishut. He greeted
the king and continued digging. The hermit was old and
weak, and as he worked, he breathed heavily. The king
went up to the hermit and said, “I have come to you,
wise hermit, to ask you to answer three questions: How
can I learn to do the right thing at the right time? Who
are the people I need most? And what affairs are the
most important?” The hermit listened to the king, but
did not speak. He went on digging. “You are tired,” said
the king. “Let me take the spade and work in your
place.” “Thanks,” said the hermit, giving the king his
spade. Then he sat down on the ground.
When the king had dug two beds, he stopped and
repeated his questions. The hermit gave no answer,
but stood up, stretching out his hand for the spade,
and said, “Now you rest, and let me work.” But the
king did not give him the spade and
continued to dig. One hour passed, then another. The
sun went down behind the trees, and at last the king
stuck the spade into the ground and said, “I came to
you, wise man, for an answer to my questions. If you
can give me no answer, tell me so and I will return
home.”
“Here comes someone running,” said the hermit.
The king turned round and saw a bearded man running towards
them. His hands were pressed against his stomach, from which
blood was flowing. When he reached the king he fainted and fell
to the ground. The king and the hermit removed the man’s
clothing and found a large wound in his stomach. The king
washed and covered it with his handkerchief, but the blood
would not stop flowing. The king re-dressed the wound until at
last the bleeding stopped. The man felt better and asked for
something to drink. The king brought fresh water and gave it to
him. By this time the sun had set and the air was cool. The king
with the hermit’s help carried the wounded man into the hut
and laid him on the bed. The man closed his eyes and lay quiet.
The king, tired by his walk and the work he had done, lay down
on the floor and slept through the night. When he awoke, it was
several minutes before he could remember
where he was or who the strange bearded man lying on the bed was. “Forgive
me!” said the bearded man in a weak voice, when he saw that the king was
awake. “I do not know you and have nothing to forgive you for,” said the king.“You
do not know me, but 1 know you. 1 am that enemy of yours who swore revenge
on you, because you put my brother to death and seized my property. I knew you
had gone alone to see that hermit, and I made up my mind to kill you on your way
home. But the day passed and you did not return. So I left my hiding-place, and I
came upon your bodyguard, who recognised me and wounded me. I escaped from
him but I should have died if you had not dressed my wounds. I wished to kill you,
and you have saved my life. Now, if I live, I will serve you as your most faithful
servant and will order my sons to do the same. Forgive me!” The king was very
happy to have made peace with his enemy so easily, and to have won him over as
a friend. He not only forgave him but said he would send his servants and his own
doctor to look after him, and he promised to give back the man his property.
Leaving the wounded man, the king went out of the hut and looked round for the
hermit. Before going away he wished once more to get answers to his questions.
The hermit was on his knees sowing seeds in the beds that had been dug theday
before. The king went up to the hermit and said, “For the last time I beg you to
answer my questions, wise man.”
THANK YOU

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