In plain words
One day he went into the forest to roam at leisure. Gazing at mountains, trees and pools, he grew tired, and when a hermitage came into view he made his way to it. When this great king reached the hermitage, the sādhu who lived there was watering the flower plants. But he noticed the king arriving weary. At once the sādhu set down in one place the vessel he was pouring from, ran to him, and brought him cool water and sweet fruit. Just then some sādhus brought to that hermitage a man who was wounded all over his body. At once he washed the man's wounds with good, pure water, applied medicines he had prepared from trees, and, to ease him, gave him good counsel, sitting beside him, and went on giving him teachings for his peace of mind. Through the sādhu's soothing words the man forgot all his pain and slept well. At once the great king came up to the sādhu to thank him, saying, ‘It is late; I shall go back to my village.’ The sādhu blessed him warmly and gave him leave, saying he might go. But the great king, thinking that if he asked the sādhu anything he would tell him, laid before him the three longings stirring within him. He gave the answer to this question. ‘In what has happened so far, the answers to the three questions are there,’ said the sādhu. The great king did not understand it at all. ‘Swāmī! I am something of a simpleton. Please explain to me clearly what answers to these three questions lie in what has happened so far,’ he begged. When you came to the hermitage, I was watering the flower plants. That was duty. But while I was carrying out such duties, you came to the hermitage. So the moment you came, my first duty was to set my task down there and turn to receive the guests and visitors who had come to the hermitage. I came and gave you sweet fruit and cool water. I took away your weariness. Just as I was bringing you some measure of rest, a man in pain arrived there. To relieve his pain, I carried out my duty there.