For example, in Japan, even today, Hirohito, the king of Japan, is believed to be the direct descendant of the sun – because the sun in Japan is thought to be a great god. In the second world war, when Japan started failing, they could not believe it. How can it be? Their king is the direct descendant of the sun itself, the greatest of gods. How can they be defeated? They could not believe their defeat. But the kings have, all over the world, managed very easily whatever they wanted to be, because they could purchase writers, historians, poets.

There is a beautiful story, a Sufi story:

The king of Iran sent Mulla Nasruddin, his emissary, to India with great gifts for the emperor of India. Of course in his court there was great resentment against Nasruddin, and they were trying to conspire somehow so that when he comes he gets into trouble. They sent spies to inform them what Nasruddin says to the emperor of India.

Nasruddin said to the emperor of India, “You are a great king. You are just like the full moon in the night.” And the spies immediately got the clue. They rushed back to inform the conspirators that he has said to the emperor of India, “You are the full moon.” Now, what about the emperor of Iran? So when he comes, raise this question, that there is nothing more than the full moon. He will be caught. He knows nothing and he thinks that the emperor will not know anything.

When the emperor of Iran heard, he was angry, very angry, that his own ambassador should tell to another king, “You are the full moon.” He said, “Wait, let Nasruddin come.” Nasruddin came back, and he could not understand why there was so much tension in the court, and why the king was looking so angry. And the first question the king asked was, “You tell me, who am I? If the Indian king is the moon, full moon, then in what category do you put me?”

Nasruddin laughed. He said, “You? You are the newest moon, the second-day moon, because the first day it is impossible to see. It is just a small line. Only on the second day you can see it for a few minutes. You are the second-day moon.”

But the king said, “That means he is a bigger king than me?”

Nasruddin said, “No. The second-day moon has immense possibilities to grow. And that old idiot, the Indian king…after the full moon there is only death. For the second-day moon there is more life. You are going to expand your empire; he is finished, he is spent. Who said to you that the second-day moon is lower than the full moon?” His interpretation was perfect. The king was very angry with the court people and he said, “You have been conspiring against a man of great wisdom.”

Outside the court one of his friends asked him, “You are certainly very clever. You managed it. We were all so worried about what you will do.” He said, “There are always ways. As far as arguments are concerned, there are always ways. They cannot catch hold of me in arguments.”

Kings have been very happy to be declared great, high, holy. Their blood is royal blood, although there is no difference – neither in their blood nor in their bones. But the kings are the first because of their brutal power. The people have accepted that they are higher.