The King Who Lived in the Eyes

The sages told the Pandavas of King Nimi, who quarreled with his own priest over a sacrifice, and of how the two cursed one another, so that the king lost his body and came to dwell in the eyelids of all beings, and a new line of kings was born of him - a tale of haste and pride between a king and his teacher, and of the strange remedy that came of it.

King Nimi was a righteous and devout ruler, the son of an ancient king of the solar line, who wished to perform a great and long sacrifice. For this he chose as his officiating priest the venerable sage Vasishtha, the family preceptor, and asked him to conduct the rite. But Vasishtha was at that time already engaged to perform a sacrifice for Indra, the king of the gods, and could not come at once. 'Wait for me, O King,' the sage said; 'when I have finished Indra's sacrifice, I will come and conduct yours.' And he went off to the gods, expecting the king to wait.