This is a story which both Hazrat Inayat Khan and his brothers used to tell about an event that took place in their own native city of Baroda. Although so far removed from our present way of life, we can perhaps appreciate the culture of delicacy and nobility that it illustrates.

Once it happened that a merchant came to the city of Baroda and sought an audience with the Maharaja. His majesty was not in the habit of welcoming just any merchant to his court, but this man had something special to offer, a tiny bottle of very rare and exquisite perfume, and he knew that it could never be sold in the common marketplace. As the Maharaja was very wealthy, and was known to appreciate the finest quality in all things, the merchant hoped that he would be eager to buy the perfume.

In due course, the merchant was admitted to the royal presence, and with all courtesy he presented the little flask. The Maharaja asked him his price, and the merchant named an astronomical sum: one hundred thousand rupees.

Although the Maharaja had been interested in acquiring the perfume, he felt that the merchant was abusing his dignity by asking so much. Therefore he offered less – seventy thousand rupees. But now the merchant felt his dignity offended, and so he refused the offer and left the court without making his sale.

There was, however, one of the Maharaja’s subjects, a noble, who had some wealth, and when he heard about the perfume, he went to the merchant and bought it at the stated price. Then he had his finest horse brought from the stables, poured the perfume upon the tail of the horse, and had one of his servants lead the horse through every street in the city.

News of this soon reached the Maharaja, and it made him angry, for it seemed to him that the noble was mocking him: what the Maharaja himself had not bought, this noble threw away on the tail of his horse!

The noble was summoned to the court immediately, and the Maharaja demanded an explanation.

“Majesty,” said the noble, “what was done was for your honour and for the honour of Baroda. I did not want the merchant to leave our city disappointed and thinking we cannot afford his perfume–and in this way, every one of your citizens was able to enjoy it!”

And this answer touched the heart of the Maharaja, and he was pleased with the noble.