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PHILOSOPHY OF SOUL
451
Now the merchant's son dined only after seeing the bald head of the potter. One day he returned from his work but he did not see the potter. He raised his head two or three times not to find the potter there. He went to the potter's house and asked his wife why potter was not to be seen? The Potteress said, "Potter has gone early for digging out clay and has not returned as yet. I am also waiting for him. He would soon return."
Merchant's son was very hungry and would not wait for the potter. He left the village in haste and walked to the place where the potter dug for his clay.
The potter while digging found a coffer full of golden coins. He was overjoyous to find this sudden gain of wealth in his poverty. He covered the coffer with clay and contínued digging further expecting more such coffers. He was perspiring and he laid his
turban aside.
Now the merchant's son approached the spot to have a glimpse of the potter's bald head from a distance. He was glad and he cried, "I saw it, I saw it."
Hearing the words, the potter suspected that the merchant's son did spy the coffer full of gold. With some nervousness and to avoid all troubles on the spot he called aloud, "Sir, come here, when you saw it, let us share it."
Merchant's son, a shrewd business man followed the situation at once and he said, "Potter you cannot swallow the whole of it. To avoid troubles we should give something to the state officer." The booty was shared accordingly and both of them grew wealthy.
The merchant's son reflected, "I accepted a small vow merely in joke and still I am amply rewarded. Certainly great rewards can be reaped by accepting big vows with proper understanding. I would certainly take bigger vows from the saint if he comes back."
After sometime the saint moving from place to place arrived in the town of that merchant's son who narrated the entire incident to the saint. He asked the saint to give him bigger vows. Then the saint said, "Great and the most excellent are the five great vows. By observing these great vows unflinelingly the man acquires eternal happiness."
