In a certain town lived a Brahmin named Seedy, who got some barley meal by begging, ate a portion, and filled a jar with the remainder. This jar he hung on a peg one night, placed his cot beneath it and fixing his gaze on the jar, fell into a hypnotic reverie.
Well here is a jar of barley meal, he thought. Now if famine comes a hundred rupees will come out of it. With that sum I will get two she-goats. Every six months they will bear two more she-goats. After goats, cows. When the cows calve I will sell the calves. After cows, buffalos. After buffalos, mares. From the mares I shall get plenty of horses. The sale of these will mean plenty of gold. The gold will buy a great house with an inner court. Then someone will come to my house and offer his lovely daughter with a dowry. She will bear a son whom I shall call Moonlord. When he is old enough to ride on my knee I will take a book, sit on the stable roof and think.
Just then Moonlord will see me, will jump from his mother's lap in his eagerness to ride on my knee and will go too near the horses. Then I shall get angry and tell my wife to take the boy but she will be too busy with her chores and will not pay attention to what I say. Then I will get up and kick her!
Being sunk in his hypnotic dream he let fly such a kick that he smashed the jar and the barley meal it contained turned him white all over.
Well here is a jar of barley meal, he thought. Now if famine comes a hundred rupees will come out of it. With that sum I will get two she-goats. Every six months they will bear two more she-goats. After goats, cows. When the cows calve I will sell the calves. After cows, buffalos. After buffalos, mares. From the mares I shall get plenty of horses. The sale of these will mean plenty of gold. The gold will buy a great house with an inner court. Then someone will come to my house and offer his lovely daughter with a dowry. She will bear a son whom I shall call Moonlord. When he is old enough to ride on my knee I will take a book, sit on the stable roof and think.
Just then Moonlord will see me, will jump from his mother's lap in his eagerness to ride on my knee and will go too near the horses. Then I shall get angry and tell my wife to take the boy but she will be too busy with her chores and will not pay attention to what I say. Then I will get up and kick her!
Being sunk in his hypnotic dream he let fly such a kick that he smashed the jar and the barley meal it contained turned him white all over.
Man goes on dreaming and desiring but basically remains where he is. and in the end nothing but ashes of his dreams and desires are in his hands - and of course tears in his eyes.
Stop dreaming about the future. Life is now and here!
