Hum aksar ek aise shehzaday ki kahani suntay hain jo kisi azeem shahi khandan mein paida hua tha. Jab shehzada paanch saal ka tha, to us ka baap, jo ke badshah tha, larkay ko apne saath ek door daraaz mulk ke safar par le gaya. Is safar ke dauran, un ka jahaz ek chattan se takra gaya, aur amlay ke tamam arakeen aur musafir in biphri hui lehron ke reham o karam par aa gaye. Is afra-tafri aur bachao ki jadd-o-jehad ke dauran, ek qareebi jazeeray ke maqami bashinday ne us chhotay shehzaday ko bacha liya. Badshah is bachao ki muhim se bilkul be-khabar tha, aur woh chhota shehzada ab apne shahi khandan se juda ho chuka tha. Woh us gaon ka ek rukan ban gaya aur apni shahi wirasat se bilkul be-khabar pala barha. Us ne maqami logon ki tarah sochna aur jeena seekh liya aur isi tarz-e-zindagi ko apna liya. Apni ghurbat aur saada zindagi mein, woh is baat se bilkul nawaqif tha ke woh ek intehai ameer aur buland martaba khandan se talluq rakhta hai aur apne baap ki shahi saltanat ka waris hai. Darasal, woh us muashray ki saqafat, rasm o riwaj aur mayar ka ghulam ban kar reh gaya jis mein woh maujood tha. Woh ek shahi shehzada tha jo intehai muflis-ul-haal halaat mein zindagi guzar raha tha. Woh nahin janta tha ke woh kaun hai, kahan se aaya hai, kyun paida hua hai, kis cheez ki qabiliyat rakhta hai, ya badshah banne par us ka qanooni aur jaiz haq kya hai. Woh apni zindagi apni khalqi maraat se kahin neeche gir kar guzar raha tha, kyun ke woh apni zindagi ke in aham tareen sawalat, yani apni pehchan, wirasat, maqsad, makhfi salahiyat aur taqdeer ke jawabat se mehroom tha. In bunyadi sawalat ke jawabat jaan'na hi kisi bhi insaan ko maani aur maqsad ata karta hai. In jawabat ke baghair, zindagi ek tajurbe ke siwa kuch bhi nahin hai. Yeh surat-e-haal bunyadi taur par insaan ke apne sarchashmay se kat janay ki wajah se paida hoti hai aur nau-e-insaan ke asal tasawwur-e-zaat ya shabeeh, izzat-e-nafs, khud tawqeeri aur ahmiyat ke ehsas ke zawaal ki shakal mein zahir hoti hai.