The wise merchant thought, “If this silly young fool travels with me and if our thousand carts stay together, it will be too much for the road. Finding wood and water for the men will be difficult, and there won’t be enough grass for the oxen. Either he or I must go first.” “Look,” he said to the other merchant, “the two of us can’t travel together. Would you rather go first or follow after me?”
The foolish trader thought, “There will be many advantages if I take the lead. I’ll get a road which is not yet cut up. My oxen will have the pick of the grass. My men will get the choicest wild herbs for curry. The water will be undisturbed. Best of all, I’ll be able to fix my own price for selling my goods.” Considering all these advantages, he said, “I will go ahead of you, my friend.”
Ramcharan was pleased to hear this because he saw many advantages in following after. He reasoned, “Those carts going first will level the road where it is rough, and I’ll be able to travel along the road they have already smoothed. Their oxen will graze off the coarse old grass, and mine will pasture on the sweet young growth which will spring up in its place.
My men will find fresh sweet herbs for curry where the old ones have been picked. Where there is no water, the first caravan will have to dig to supply themselves, and we’ll be able to drink at the wells they have dug. Fixing prices is tiring work; he’ll do the work, and I will be able to sell my wares at prices he has already fixed.” “Very well, my friend,” he said, “Please goes ahead.”
“I will,” said the foolish merchant, and he yoked his carts and set out. After a while he came to the outskirts of a wilderness. He filled all of his huge water jars with water before setting out to cross the sixty miles of desert which lay before him.
The Devil who haunted that wilderness had been watching the caravan. When it had reached the middle, he used his magic power to conjure up a lovely carriage drawn by pure white young bulls. With a group of a dozen disguised Devils carrying swords and shields, he rode along in his carriage like a mighty lord. His hair and clothes were wet, and he had a wreath of blue lotuses and white water lilies around his head. His attendants also were dripping wet and draped in garlands. Even the bulls’ hooves and carriage wheels were muddy.
As the wind was blowing from the front, the merchant was riding at the head of his caravan to escape the dust. The Devil drew his carriage beside the merchant’s and greeted him kindly. The merchant returned the greeting and moved his own carriage to one side to allow the carts to pass while he and the Devil chatted.
“We are on our way from Baranas, Sir,” explained the merchant. “I see that your men are all wet and muddy and that you have lotuses and water lilies. Did it rain while you were on the road? Did you come across pools with lotuses and water lilies?”
“What do you mean?” the Devil exclaimed. “Over there is the dark-green streak of a jungle. Beyond that there is plenty of water. It is always raining there, and there are many lakes with lotuses and water lilies.” Then, pretending to be interested in the merchant’s business, he asked, “What do you have in these carts?” “Expensive merchandise,” answered the merchant. “What is in this cart which seems so heavily loaded?” the Devil asked as the last cart rolled by. “That’s full of water.”
“You were wise to carry water with you this far, but there is no need for it now, since water is so abundant ahead. You could travel much faster and lighter without those heavy jars. You’d be better off breaking them and throwing the water away. Well, good day,” he said suddenly, as he turned his carriage. “We must be on our way. We have stopped too long already.” He rode away quickly with his men. As soon as they were out of sight, he turned and made his way back to his own city The merchant was so foolish that he followed the Devil’s advice. He broke all the jars, without saving even a single cupful of water, and ordered the men to drive on quickly.
Of course, they did not find any water, and they were soon exhausted from thirst. At sunset they drew their carts into a circle and tethered the oxen to the wheels, but there was no water for the weary animals. Without water, the men could not cook any rice either. They sank to the ground and fell asleep. As soon as night came, the Devils attacked, killing every single man and beast. The fiends devoured the flesh, leaving only the bones, and departed. Skeletons were strewn in every direction, but the five hundred carts stood with their loads untouched. Thus the foolish young merchant was the sole cause of his destruction.
Allowing six weeks to pass after the foolish trader had left, Ramcharan set out with his five hundred carts. When he reached the edge of the wilderness, he filled his water jars. Then he assembled his men and announced, “Let not so much as a handful of water be used without my permission. Furthermore, there are poisonous plants in this wilderness. Do not eat any leaf, flower, or fruit which you have never eaten before, without showing it to me first.” Having thus carefully warned his men, he led the caravan into the wilderness.
When they had reached the middle of the wilderness, the Devil appeared on the path just as before. The merchant noticed his red eyes and fearless manner and suspected something strange. “I know there is no water in this desert,”he said to himself. “Furthermore, this stranger casts no shadow. He must be a Devil. He probably tricked the foolish merchant, but he doesn’t realize how clever I am.”
“Get out of here!” he shouted at the Devil. “We are men of business. We do not throw away our water before we see where more is to come from!” Without saying any more, the Devil rode away. As soon as the Devils had left, the merchant’s men approached their leader and said, “Sir, those men were wearing lotuses and water lilies on their heads. Their clothes and hair were wringing wet. They told us that up ahead there is a thick forest where it is always raining. Let us throw away our water so that we can proceed quicker with lightened carts.”.
The merchant ordered a halt and summoned all his men. “Has any man among you ever heard before today,” he asked, “That there was a lake or a pool in this wilderness?” “No, sir,” they answered. “It’s known as the ‘waterless Desert.’ ” “We have just been told by some strangers that it is raining in the forest just ahead. How far does a rain-wind carry?” “A mile, sir.” “Has any man here seen the top of even a single storm-cloud?” “No, Sir.” “How far off can you see a flash of lightning?” “Four or five hundred miles, Sir.” “Has any man here seen a flash of lightning?” “No, Sir.” “How far off can a man hear a peal of thunder?” “Two or three hundred miles, Sir.” “Has any man here heard a peal of thunder?” “No, Sir.”
“Those were not men, but Devils,” the wise merchant told his men. “They are hoping that we will throw away our water. Then, when we are weak and faint, they will return to devour us. Since the young merchant who went before us was not a man of good sense, most likely he was fooled by them. We may expect to find his carts standing just as they were first loaded. We will probably see them today. Press on with all possible speed, without throwing away a drop of water!”
Just as the merchant had predicted, his caravan soon came upon the five hundred carts with the skeletons of men and oxen strewn in every direction. He ordered his men to arrange his carts in a fortified circle, to take care of the oxen, and to prepare an early supper for themselves. After the animals and men had all safely bedded down, the merchant and his foremen, swords in hand, stood guard all through the night.
At daybreak the merchant replaced his own weak carts for stronger ones and exchanged his own common goods for the most costly of the abandoned merchandise. When he arrived at his destination, he was able to sell his stock of wares at two or three times their value. He returned to his own city without losing a single man out of all his company.
Thus this story teaches us how important it is to keep our senses under our control and to always think before taking any action. A person is wise if he listen to others, but he is wiser if he concludes and reacts after analyzing the circumstances around him. We meet many people who have earned great degrees and are scholars in various fields, still under tricky situations, they fail to survive and thus are left deprived of what they truly deserve in life.
Thus a person must analyze all the favorable as well as unfavorable conditions prior to taking any action. If one follows this simple procedure, the chances of getting success in any field increases many fold and finally the person achieves what he truly deserves in life. This is why a Guru is considered to be the essence of life in Indian culture. Guru just not only guides the disciple on the right path, He also gives him the knowledge as well as wisdom to analyze the situations and to act wisely under various circumstances.
It is mandatory to obtain Guru Diksha from Revered Gurudev before performing any Sadhana or taking any other Diksha. Please contact Kailash Siddhashram, Jodhpur through Email , Whatsapp, Phone or Submit Request to obtain consecrated-energized and mantra-sanctified Sadhana material and further guidance,