The Puppet Show

From His childhood Baha’u’llah showed extraordinary intelligence and understanding. He noticed many things, and understood points that even the elders had never thought of. For instance, while still very young, He attended His older brother’s wedding. According to the custom of those days they had celebrations for seven days and seven nights. On the last night there was a puppet show, and many important guests had come to see it. Baha’u’llah too was present.

As the curtain went up, a few dolls entered and announced that King Salim was about to come. Many other dolls entered the stage with much excitement and made a show of welcoming the King. Some swept the floor, others sprinkled water on the path and a few more rolled out a beautiful carpet. There was a general air of excitement and all the people were moving about swiftly trying to keep everything in order.

Just then the announcer entered once more to say that everyone should prepare themselves to hail the King. The whole court stood up. At last king Salmi entered with great majesty and splendor. He was dressed in magnificent clothes; a beautiful crown rested on his head; he had many ornaments round his neck and fingers, and held a jewelled sceptor in his hand. As he entered, the sound of guns and trumpets was heard. The King walked slowly and grandly towards his throne and sat down while the entire court bowed in awe and respect.

Some guards then entered, leading a thief, and waited for the King’s command. The King ordered for the thief to be beheaded. Immediately an executioner came forward and obeyed the King’s command. Blood, in the form of red fluid, started to gush out of the puppet's neck.

News was then brought that the citizens of one of the states of his kingdom had rebelled and risen against the King. As soon as he heard this disturbing news, the King ordered his soldiers to go out at once and put an end to this uprising. The soldiers went out and from behind the curtain the sound of guns was heard showing that the King’s command was being earned out.

When the show ended, Baha’u’llah, Who had been watching with great interest, wondered how all this happened and how the dolls entered and disappeared. After about twenty minutes, Baha’u’llah saw a man with a box under his arm. He went forward and asked him what the box contained. The man answered that it contained the whole court, the puppet king, his ministers, his guards, his courtiers and everything that he had seen at the show.

On hearing tins Baha’u’llah, even at that tender age, realized an important truth about our world; that all the beautiful things in the world are, in reality, just like a puppet show. He commented in words such as these “How very surprising that although the people know that the wealth and all the material things of this world will not last long, they still cling to them!”

This incident shows how Baha’u’llah always thought of deep and important matters. Even today there are people who are educated but who do not realize this truth and spend their lives collecting material wealth, thinking that this is the purpose of life.

• Mahnaz Afshin ('The Story of Baha'u'llah')

Source: Baha'i Stories for Children (https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2023/12/the-puppet-show.html).

Various. *Baha'i Stories for Children*. https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/2023/12/the-puppet-show.html