Question

Why did he ask for the king’s forgiveness?

Answer 1

Hint: In “Three questions” by Leo Tolstoy there was once a king who felt that if he knew the answers to his three questions, he would never fail. To obtain the answers, the king dispatched messengers around the country, promising a big sum of money as a reward. The intelligent men who came forward, however, were unable to appropriately answer his inquiries.

Complete answer:
A certain monarch believed that if he knew the answers to his three questions, he would never fail. These were the questions: When is the best moment to start something? Who should he pay attention to? What is the most critical task for him to complete? He dispatched emissaries around the kingdom in search of the answers, promising a big sum of money to the proper person.

While the king was talking to the hermit, someone dashed in. It was a bearded man with his hands pushed to his stomach, which was dripping with blood. The bleeding stopped after the king and the hermit treated him. The bearded man apologised to the king and revealed who he was after regaining consciousness. In reality, the bearded man was the king's foe, seeking vengeance because the king had once confiscated his brother's property and executed him. The man declared himself to be the king's most dedicated servant because the king had spared his life.

Note: The themes of wisdom, knowledge, awareness, kindness, forgiveness, and acceptance run through Leo Tolstoy's Three Questions. After reading the narrative, the reader realises that Tolstoy may be investigating the concept of wisdom, as it is told in the third person by an unknown narrator.