I wish to be fair
A Sanskrit scholar used to teach in a college. One day the principal of the school said to him, “I have a piece of good news for you: you have been promoted.”The scholar said, “How can it be? I don’t deserve a promotion!”
“But we need a teacher for the higher course,” said the principal.
The Sanskrit scholar said, “Oh, I can easily solve that problem. My own teacher is now out of employment. It is he who deserves this post. He knows Sanskrit far better than I do. Let me go and tell him that you have a post for him. He will be able to teach very well. I assure you that you will be satisfied with him.”
The principal said, “Oh no, we can’t take your teacher for the higher class when we do not know him at all. He can take your class, and you can teach the higher class.”
The scholar said, “That is absurd. I can’t allow that. My teacher knows much more than I do!”
The principal said, “You have served this college for several years, so we know your capacity. Without knowing your teacher’s capacity, how can we give him that post?”
The scholar said, “You have faith in me, and I have faith in my teacher. I know his capacity.”
The principal said, “If you do not accept this offer, you will stay where you are forever.”
“You are trying to tempt me, but I am not tempted by you,” said the scholar. “Just because you have tried to tempt me, you deserve punishment. Either you accept my teacher for the higher class, or I am leaving this school.”
The following day the scholar did not come to the school. The principal was utterly amazed at this professor’s love for his teacher. On the one hand, he was helpless. On the other hand, he was proud that he had such a self-giving man teaching in his college. So the principal informed the scholar to bring his teacher.
When they were both standing before him, the principal said to the scholar, “I have never seen and perhaps will never see a man like you.”
“No, you will see many, many who will far surpass me,” said the scholar. “But I wish to tell you that, in life, when I am fair to someone, then God is fair to me — only then, and not even one second before. So I always try to be fair.”
Then the principal gave the higher post to the scholar’s teacher, and the scholar resumed teaching his own class.
