Mokshamala

Author(s): Manu Doshi
Publisher: Manu Doshi

Page 48

The Brahmin thought, "How pretty are his abodes! How fine is the neatness and maintenance! How wise and understanding is his wife! How bright and obedient are his sons! How united is the entire family! How much wealth does he have! I have not seen any other happy person like him in the entire country. Now by undertaking the penance let me ask for everything like this prosperous man; I should not go for anything else."
When the day was over and it was the time for night and for going to bed, the Brahmin was sitting alone. That time the gentleman asked him about the purpose of his visit. Thereupon the following conversation took place between the two.
Brahmin: When I started from home, my intention was to see the happiest man so that I can ask for similar happiness by undertaking penance. I went round the entire country and saw its beautiful places, but I did not see happiness even in the great royal households. Wherever I went, I noticed affliction, disease and worries. Then I learnt about you and came here, and I am satisfied. I did not notice anywhere else the wealth, earning, wife, sons, family, residence etc. comparable to yours. Moreover, you are also religious, virtuous and devotee of omniscient Lords. I think that there is nowhere else the happiness like yours; you are really the happy person in India. By undertaking penance I want to ask for the happy state like yours.
Gentleman: You have come out with a highly purposeful motive; I would therefore tell you the truth based on my own experience. Thereafter do whatever you think fit. You told me that there is no happiness in the entire country comparable to mine; I do not think so. I firmly believe that there is no real happiness in the world; it is ablaze with misery. You see me happy, but really speaking I do not consider myself happy.
Brahmin: What you are saying may be meaningful and based on your experience. I have gone through many sacred books, but have not tried to gain the meaningful approach; nor have I gained the experience like yours. Now please tell me what sort of unhappiness you have.
Gentleman: Punditji, since you are keen to know, I am telling it to you. It is worth pondering over and getting a lesson from.
Lesson 63: Concept of happiness, Part 3
The gentleman: Earlier also I had the wealth, wife, family etc. comparable to what you are noticing at present. That was about twenty years before. The wealth, vastness of business etc. that I had that time started going down on account of faulty management. The millionaire though I was considered, I lost everything within three years on account of loss recurring year after year. Whatever I tried turned out to be counterproductive. That time I was childless and meanwhile I lost my wife too. Due to heavy financial loss I had no alternative but to leave the place. My relatives did try to help me; what help can however, be of avail when there was the bolt from the blue?
‘Since it was not possible to make both ends meet, I left the native place. My relatives tried to prevent me from moving out by saying, "You have never gone even up to the border of our town, we cannot allow you to leave; you are too delicate to bear the strain of wandering. Moreover, if you go and happen to be happy, you would not feel inclined to come back. It is therefore better that you give up the idea of going. "I explained to them my position at length and managed to remove their apprehension. I left for Java while promising them that I would certainly come back when my condition improved.
'Luckily the situation started taking a favorable turn. Though I did not have a penny and had no means to maintain myself even for a couple of months, I proceeded to Java and my intelligence came to the help. Since the captain of the ship in which I had traveled had noticed my smartness and gentleness, he talked to the ship owner about my distressful state. Thereupon the owner called and entrusted me with some of his trades. Thereby I started earning four times the requirement of my livelihood.