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Question
Even today so many among us believe in superstitions. An astrologer predicted about 'the Tiger King' that he would be killed by a tiger. He 'killed' one hundred tigers yet was himself 'killed' by a tiger. How did the superstitious belief 'prevail'?
Solution
On his birth, the astrologers had prophesied that the Maharaja’s death would be caused by the hundredth tiger. As soon as the Maharaja learnt of this, he started killing tigers. This shows that though people believed in superstition, the Maharaja wanted to prove the prophecy wrong.
After killing all the tigers in his kingdom, he married a girl whose state had a large tiger population. He killed the tigers in his father-in-law’s kingdom too. He was assured that he had killed hundred tigers and was still alive, but, ironically, his death was caused by a wooden tiger. While playing with his son and his wooden tiger, a rough surface pierced the Maharaja’s hand causing infection that later led to his death. Destiny had taken its revenge for trying to overrule it. The superstitious belief prevailed as the hundredth tiger led the Maharaja's death.
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