Once upon a time, there lived a King who had three sons. He was getting old and needed to choose which son would become the next King. Since he loved them all equally, he called a wise monk to help him make the right choice.

The monk decided to give the sons a test. He gave each son a separate empty room in the palace and 1,000 rupees. He told them, “You have two days. You must use this money to buy something that fills this entire room completely.”

Two days later, the monk went to check on them.

The first son wanted to save money and fill the space quickly. He had gathered a lot of garbage, old junk, and dirt from the city dumps. When the monk saw this, he frowned and covered his nose. He said, “You filled the room with trash just to get the job done. A King who fills his kingdom with dirt will destroy it.” The first son failed.

The second son tried to be smarter. He bought huge bundles of hay and dried straw because they were cheap and bulky. He stuffed the room from floor to ceiling. But the monk shook his head. He said, “You have filled the space, but hay is weak and catches fire easily. A King cannot build a strong kingdom on something so temporary.” The second son also failed.

Finally, it was the turn of the third son. When the monk arrived, he was surprised to see that the room wasn’t stuffed with things. In fact, the son had cleaned the room and removed all the dust. With his 1,000 rupees, he had simply bought a candle, some fresh flowers, and hired a musician.

As soon as the monk opened the door, he stopped in surprise. The light from the candle filled every dark corner. The sweet scent of the flowers filled the air. The soothing melody of the music filled the silence.

The monk smiled happily. He turned to the King and said, “This son is wise. He understands that being ‘full’ isn’t about stuffing a room with material things. He has filled the palace with light, beauty, and peace. He is your true heir.”

The Moral: True worth is not found in how much space you occupy, but in how much light you bring to the world.