The Princesses and the Kingshuk Tree
Relax, be very still and listen – listen carefully to this tale about four princesses who lived
in a grand palace in a distant land. They were very curious girls, so when they heard about a
tree of breathtaking beauty, they longed to see it. But this was no ordinary tree – it was a
magic tree. Do you want to know why? Let’s see if we can find out!
Now ... the young princesses had been well educated about everything in their own land
– especially about all the animals, flowers and trees that could be found there. They even had
a zoo in the palace, with exotic birds and animals from all over the world. And the collection of
trees and flowers in the palace gardens was said to be beyond compare. So the princesses
were so intrigued by what they heard that they were determined to see it. That very day, after
their lessons, they went to find the gardener and asked him to take them to see this wonderful
tree.
“It would be my pleasure, your Highnesses!” said the gardener. “But the Kingshuk Tree is
a magic tree: people can only see it on their birthday. The rest of the time it is invisible. So I
will only be able to take you one at a time, and you will each have to wait until your birthday.”
The princesses agreed and decided that it was only right and proper for the eldest to go
first.
And so it was that on the eldest princess’s birthday, a bright spring
morning, the gardener and the girl set out to find the Kingshuk Tree. After
walking for a while, they came to the edge of the royal forest where the
gardener said that it grew.
The princess saw a tall, willowy tree standing apart, but the gardener
could see nothing, so she knew that this was indeed the magical Kingshuk. She
stood entranced by the beautiful tree: its small green leaves were unfurling like
sparkling emeralds and the princess was filled with its joyful energy. As they left, the gardener
asked her not to talk about what had happened so that she wouldn’t spoil the tree’s magic for
her sisters.
As spring rolled into summer, the second eldest princess celebrated her birthday and
the gardener took her to find the Kingshuk Tree. She gasped when she saw it, for it was an
explosion of deep-red blossoms, glowing like rubies. The princess swooned as she smelled the
heavenly perfume of the magic flowers, which filled her with a great sense of happiness. The
gardener asked her, too, not to discuss the tree until all the girls had seen it.
The hot summer days were turning to autumn when the gardener brought
the third princess to see the Kingshuk Tree on her birthday. Her eyes widened
when she saw its boughs crammed with luscious purple fruits, which hung from the
tree like giant amethysts. The magic tree was so enticing that she felt as if it were
feeding her with its goodness and generosity. And once again, the gardener asked
her, like her sisters, not to talk about the tree until all four princesses had seen it.
Finally, as winter chased the last autumn leaves from the trees, the birthday
of the fourth and youngest princess arrived. Now the gardener
took her, too, to visit the Kingshuk Tree. She asked to be taken at night
as she wanted to see it in the moonlight. And, sure enough, its silvery
branches, wet with dew, looked spectacular and sparkled as if they were
dressed in silver threads laced with tiny diamonds. She felt as if the mystical
tree was wrapping her in its warmth and magic.
The day after the youngest princess’s visit, the four girls went to thank
the gardener for taking them all to see the magical Kingshuk Tree. Relieved that they could
discuss it among themselves at last, the eldest princess said, “I will never forget that beautiful
tree with its tiny leaves shimmering like emeralds in the afternoon sun.”
“But, sister, you must be mistaken!” cried the second oldest Princess. “The Kingshuk
Tree was covered in huge ruby-red blossoms and its heady perfume filled me with great
feelings of happiness.”
“Oh no, sisters, you are both quite wrong,” insisted the third Princess. “The Kingshuk
Tree was heavy with luscious purple fruits, which sparkled like giant amethysts.”
“Well, sisters, I think you must have seen different trees!” cried the youngest princess.
“The Kingshuk’s branches were covered in threads of glittering dew that enchanted me with
their magic.”
Had the sisters not been so well-mannered, there might have been an argument. But
instead they simply wondered if they had seen four different trees.
The gardener laughed. “Your Highnesses,” he said calmly, “you have indeed each seen
the same Kingshuk Tree and experienced its magic. But it was dressed for the season of your
birthday when each of you visited. To truly appreciate the tree, you need to visit in all the
seasons which is, of course, impossible because of its invisibility!”
The princesses laughed. They had forgotten that each of their birthdays fell in a different
part of the year and that the tree changed with the seasons. No wonder it had looked different
on each visit!
The girls also realized that the only way they would be able to discover more about the
magical Kingshuk Tree was by listening to – and learning from – each other and anyone else
who’d been lucky enough to see it.
What we first see may not always give us the whole picture. A wise person knows that to
discover the truth about anything, they must learn from other people’s insights as well as their
own.
