It happened that a Mohammedan ruler of Iran sent a wise man to India to make contacts with the Indian emperor, to make friendly relationships. When the wise man came to India he addressed the emperor of India as ’full moon’. The emperor was very happy. He asked: You call me full moon?What do you call your own emperor? Mohammedans love the second day’s moon very much, so he said: We call our king ’the second day’s moon’. He is imperfect, sir, you are perfect. The emperor was very much pleased and with many presents, many valuable things, he sent this wise man back to his king. But the news reached the king before the messenger reached home. There were people in the court of the Iranian king who were against this wise man and they said: He has insulted you. He has called you ’the moon of the second day’ and he has called the Indian emperor ’the full moon’. He is an enemy. He should be immediately caught.
Of course the king also felt offended. Immediately the wise man entered the kingdom he was caught and imprisoned and called to the court. The explanation was asked. The wise man laughed and said: Whenever something is perfect it is dead. A full moon has no more time to exist, the next day it starts declining. The moon of the second day has much future, it goes on becoming greater and greater. I have not offended you. If the emperor of India had been wise enough he would have caught me immediately and imprisoned me. You are a fool and your people around you are all fools.
He was true. Perfection is death, because there is nowhere to go any more.
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