The throne of justice class 5 questions and answers

Answer:

The Throne of Justice

Adapted from ‘The Throne of Vikram’ by Romila Thapar

The village had an open space , and in it there was a row of stones arranged in a certain way. At one end, there was raised mound which looked like a throne , with smaller stones arranged round it.

The children from the villages who brought their cows to graze that grew on the ruins, noticed the stones. They saw the large mound the way the stones were arranged, and one of them shouted , “It looks like a king’s judgment seat!” Another boy quickly invented a game to fit the situation .”Let’s play at having trials,” he suggested.”I’ll sit on the mound be the judge and solve your quarrels.”

The children liked the idea and began to make up quarrels at once. they described their problems to the ‘judge’. The other boys laughed and shouted during the game, but the boy sitting on the judgement seat was solemn and stern.He took the stories seriously and listened to them attentively. His judgements were usually very fair. The boys, excited, returned in the evening and told their parents what had happened.

At first the parents were amused , but as the days went by , they were surprised at the boy’s wisdom. It was beyond his years. His judgments seemed to be more just than those of the elders in the village.

There was also something magical about the mound. The boy was a cowherd and as playful as the other children. But when he sat on the mound, he became thoughtful and spoke wisely.

Soon the king heard about the boy. He wondered if the famous throne of King Vikramaditya lay buried under the mound on which the boy sat when he was a judge.’If the throne could help a cowherd make wise decisions,’ he thought, ’it would certainly help me be a better king.’

Not long after this , the king’s men dug up the ground under the stone.They found a magnificent black marble throne,supported by twenty –four carving in the shape of the mythical bird, the garuda*.This was indeed the throne of vikramaditya.

It was lifted and taken carefully to the king's audience-room. It was cleaned and polished.A day was chosen on which the king would sit on the throne of vikramaditya and try to solve people's conflicts.

Crowds gathered in the place on the chosen day. The king stood before the throne and prayed. Then he approached the throne. Just as he was about to seat himself on it, one of the garudas moved its wings. A voice, clear and loud, addressed the king."Wait," said the garuda."Before you seat yourself on the throne ask yourself if you deserve this honour. Only the pure of heart can sit on this throne."Then the garuda asked him a question."Have you ever been unjust and cruel?"

The king stopped. There was silence in the hall. He said slowly, "I know I do not deserve to sit on