The Riddle of the River — A Dogri Folk Tale
नदी दी पहेली — इक डोगरी लोककथा
A Dogri folk tale from Jammu about a wise old woman who teaches a proud king the true meaning of rivers, life, and gratitude. A story where wisdom defeats pride.
In the ancient kingdom of Duggar, there ruled a proud and powerful king named Vikram Singh. He had vast armies, overflowing treasuries, and a palace that sparkled in the sun.
But King Vikram Singh had one flaw — he believed that he was the wisest person in all the land, and he would not listen to anyone else.
One day, the king decided to cross the Devika river, which was in full flood after the monsoon rains. His courtiers and advisors begged him to wait. "Your Majesty, the river is swollen and fierce. The crossing is dangerous."
"I am the king!" said Vikram Singh. "The river cannot stop me. I command it to be still."
Of course, rivers do not listen to kings.
As the royal party attempted to cross, their boat was nearly capsized. They barely made it back to shore, soaking wet and frightened.
On the riverbank, sitting calmly under a chinar tree, was an old woman. She was wrapping a shawl tightly around herself and eating a roti she had brought from home.
The king, furious and embarrassed, turned to the old woman. "Old woman! Do you know who I am?"
"Yes," she said simply. "You are the man who just tried to tell a river what to do."
The courtiers gasped. No one spoke to the king like that.
But King Vikram Singh was curious rather than angry. "And who are you?" he asked.
"I am a woman who has lived beside this river for seventy years," she said. "I know when it rises and when it calms. I know where it is safe and where it is not. I know its riddle."
"What riddle?" asked the king.
The old woman smiled. "The riddle of the river is this: It takes water from the mountains — the snows, the glaciers, the rains — and gives it all to the ocean. It takes from those above and gives to those below. It does not keep a single drop for itself."
She paused and looked at the king steadily. "Can you say the same, Your Majesty?"
The king was silent for a long time.
Then, quietly, he sat down beside the old woman. "Teach me the riddle," he said, "and I will listen."
And from that day, it is said, King Vikram Singh became a much wiser and more generous king — one who took from those who had much and gave to those who had little.
And every time he heard the sound of the river, he remembered the old woman's words, and he smiled.
Moral of the story
Wisdom does not come from power or riches — it flows like a river, from every direction.
