Joker

Joker lived from the days of good King Rajendra. Joker spared nobody in the kingdom. The king himself, who was fat, jovial and had long white whiskers, was a frequent butt of his jokes. But the king was a great fan of Joker and he considered his day well begun if he could snatch some time to read the day’s joke by Joker.

After him his son Murkha became the king. He was bitter and had developed a permanent scowl on his face. He didn’t approve of laughter. So he forthwith banished jokes and imposed heavy penalties for infringement. He imprisoned Joker and threw him into the dungeons.

Joker still laughed. But in the country the slightest sight of smile resulted in spies reporting to the king and in incarceration.

The news went to the animals of the forest. Their Union chair-animal spoke, ‘We have accepted Human’s suzerainty since they could laugh and we cannot. No more of human yoke now. Charge, all of you’.

The animals marched into the City. The king was captured. The animals again conferred to elect their new king. Suddenly there was a loud laughter which startled everybody. It was Joker. He was laughing on seeing the king held captive by cats and dogs and mice.

The chair-animal now made a quick decision. ‘This town life is not for us. Here is a man who can laugh. Let him be the king. He will surely bring back laughter into the country’, he said. Joker was duly crowned.

The captured king laughed now. But it was a maniac laugh. He is still laughing away in his special lunatic asylum.

Swami Sampurnananda, 27 October 2003