The Measure of Rice
A greedy king hires a foolish Valuer who prices five hundred horses at a measure of rice, until a bribe makes him value the rice at the whole city.
Once a dishonest king had a man at his court called the Valuer. It was his job to decide what a horse, an elephant or any other animal was worth, and what should be paid for jewels and gold. He was fair and truthful, and the owners always got a proper price from him.
His honesty was exactly what annoyed the king. “If I had a different sort of man as Valuer,” he thought, “I might grow richer.”
One day the king saw a stingy man with no training in valuation come into the palace yard. He sent for the fellow and asked whether he would like to be Valuer. The peasant was happy to accept, so the king gave him the job and dismissed the honest Valuer.
From then on the peasant priced every horse, elephant, gem and piece of gold. He had no idea what anything was worth, so he said whatever came into his head. And because the king had made him Valuer, people had to sell their goods for whatever price he named.
One day a trader arrived with five hundred horses. The new Valuer glanced at them and declared them worth one measure of rice. The king had the trader paid with a single measure of rice, and the horses were led off to the royal stables.
The trader went looking for the former Valuer and poured out his story. “What can I do?” he asked.
“Give that fellow a gift, and he’ll say whatever you like,” the honest man replied. “Bring him something handsome and then ask him, ‘You priced my horses at one measure of rice. Can you also tell the king, in front of everyone, what that measure of rice is worth?’ If he agrees, take him before the king. I’ll be there as well.”
The dealer thought this a fine idea. He took the Valuer a handsome present and said what he had been told to say.
The Valuer pocketed the gift. “Of course,” he said. “I’ll come with you and name the price of the rice. Nothing easier.”
So off they went to the palace, where the king sat with his ministers.
The trader bowed. “Your Majesty, I’m told my five hundred horses are worth one measure of rice. Would you kindly ask your Valuer how much that rice is worth?”
The king knew nothing of the plan. “Valuer,” he said, “what is the price of five hundred horses?”
“One measure of rice, Your Majesty.”
“I see. And that measure of rice, what is its price?”
“Why, it is worth your entire city!” the silly man announced.
The ministers burst out laughing and clapped. “What a silly Valuer! How can a man like that hold such a post? We always thought this great city was beyond price, and he says it’s worth one measure of rice!”
The king turned red with shame and chased the foolish fellow away.
“I only priced the horses low to please the king, and now look at me!” the Valuer wailed, hurrying off while everyone laughed.
About this story
“The Measure of Rice” is the eighth tale in Ellen C. Babbitt’s Jataka Tales (1912). Babbitt’s short version ends with the foolish Valuer running from the laughing crowd and admitting that his plan to please the king has backfired.
The same Jataka appears in T. W. Rhys Davids’s older translation as “The Measure of Rice” (Tandula-Nali Jataka), where the honest valuer is the future Buddha. Babbitt leaves out that frame and keeps just the tale.
Read the original: Jataka Tales (Project Gutenberg)
Best for ages 6–8 — a silly price, a clever trick and a lot of laughing ministers.
A closer reading
The king hires an unsuitable official because fair prices limit what he can take from sellers. The new valuer’s ignorance is useful to that aim until his absurd judgment also makes the king’s city seem worthless. The failure begins with the appointment, not only with the employee’s foolish answer.
The former valuer and trader expose the system by buying another favorable judgment. That tactic demonstrates the official’s corruption, but does not turn bribery into a fair ordinary pricing method. Babbitt’s ending reports public embarrassment and dismissal; it does not explicitly say the trader receives proper payment for the horses.
Try this with the story
Write the two valuations as equations: horses = rice and rice = city. Explain why the second embarrasses a king who accepted the first. Then list what would still need to happen to make the trader whole.
Questions to ask
- Why does the king prefer an unqualified valuer?
- What makes the second price expose the first?
- Does dismissal alone repair the trader’s loss?
Related stories
- The Story of the Merchant of Seri — honest and dishonest prices in another Jataka
- The King’s White Elephant — another Jataka from Babbitt’s book
Also known as: Tandulanali Jataka, The Foolish Valuer
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did the king dismiss the honest Valuer?
How did the trader expose the foolish Valuer?
How does the story end?
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