Scene 1
(A room of the royal palace late at night. A thief enters and is quietly moving around when the King and Queen enter, talking. The thief quickly hides.)KING: I think the time has come for our second daughter to get married. But this time we shall not make the same mistake that we made with our first daughter. We married her to a military man. We thought that this man, who held a high post in the military, would bring her joy. But alas, there is no joy, no peace in her life. It is all constant fighting, constant battle. This time let us not ask for name and fame. Let us look for a simple man, very simple. Let us look for a religious man for this daughter of ours, for she is also very religious and spiritual.
QUEEN: My Lord, I fully agree with you. Our daughter is extremely spiritual. She should have a saintly person as her husband. She will then be happy, and we shall be happy. You are the King. We have abundant wealth. We have name and fame. All we need now is peace and joy. This daughter of ours will have peace and joy and she will give it to us.
KING: Where can we find a saintly person?
QUEEN: Well, there are always saintly people praying and meditating on the banks of the Ganges. I see them quite often. I think it would be a nice idea if we chose one of those saintly people who meditate every morning watching the sun rise over the Ganges. They are sincere people, simple people. How I wish our daughter could marry one of them!
KING: Ah, that is a splendid idea! I, too, thought of it. Tomorrow morning let us ask our Prime Minister to go and see if there is one saint there who is really suitable for our daughter.
