The Tsar was the speaker. He spoke to the wise hermit who lived in a wood. The Tsar asked the hermit three questions. The first question was how he could learn to do the right thing at the right time. The second question was who were the right people to listen to and whom to avoid. The third question was what affairs were the most important, and needed his first attention.
The Tsar had already requested the hermit to answer his questions twice before but had not been answered by the hermit on any of the occasions. So, before leaving the wood, the Tsar requested the hermit for the last time to answer his questions.