Read the previous part here…
He who worries about what has not happened, or what will not happen, becomes white and sleeps, just like the father of SomaSharma.
“How did that happen?”, said TruptaKumar.
VairāgyaKumar replied…
सोमशर्मपितृकथा
The story of SomaSharma’s father
In a city, not too far away from here, lived a miserly Brahmin. He was too lazy to work at the neighborhood temple, and so begged for alms. He usually got flour from the houses on the three streets that he cared to walk on. After using a small amount to make a couple of rotis, he used to store the excess flour in a pot, that he hung on an elephant’s tusk on the wall. He then used to spread a mat under it, lie on it and stare at his ‘treasure of flour’, until he fell asleep.
One night, as he lay on the mat, he thought to himself “One day, this pot will be filled to the brim with flour. You never know, it may be that famine strikes the city around that time, and demand for flour goes up manifold. I will then sell this pot of flour for a hundred rupees, and with that money, I will buy a pair of goats. They will continue to produce calves every six months, and soon I will have a herd of goats. Now, this would present another opportunity. I will then sell this whole herd, and buy a cow, and after selling the cows I will buy a female buffalo. Then, I will sell the buffaloes and buy a female horse. As the horses reproduce, soon will have a farm of horses. I will then sell them all and buy gold, a lot of gold. With that gold I will buy a huge mansion, with a huge courtyard, big lawns and a huge terrace.
Then, a renowned Brahmin will come to my huge house, and offer his young daughter in marriage to me. I will soon have a son through her, who I will name SomaSharma.
When he is able to crawl, I will go to my stables, book in hand, waiting for him to come crawling to find me. SomaSharma will spot me, get down from his mother’s lap and come crawling towards me. But he will come dangerously close to where the horses stand. I will shout to my wife “Hold him back, be careful!”
She will not hear me, since she will be busy in household work. I will get up, and kick her!”
And, thinking this way, lost in imagination, the Brahmin kicked out hard..his leg hit the pot and it fell and broke. The “father of SomaSharma” was soon covered in white flour, his dream shattered beside him.
“And that is why I say”, concluded VairāgyaKumar,
He who worries about what has not happened, or what will not happen, becomes white and sleeps, just like the father of Soma Sharma.
TruptaKumar nodded. “It is true. This is not your fault. Everyone is destroyed by greed. It is said..”
यो लौल्यात् कुरुते नैवोदर्कम् अवेक्षते ।
विडम्बनाम् अवाप्नोति स यथा चन्द्र-भूपतिः ॥ ६९ ॥
yo laulyāt kurute naivodarkam avekṣate |
viḍambanām avāpnoti sa yathā candra-bhūpatiḥ || 69 ||
He who acts out of greed and without thinking of the consequences, gets cheated, much like ChandraBhoopati.
VairāgyaKumar said “How did that happen?”
TruptaKumar replied…
to be continued…