The Brahmin and the Pot of Ghee

In a village lived a poor Brahmin named Devasharma, who survived by begging for alms. One day, he received a generous gift of ghee and rice. He poured them into a clay pot and hung it from a peg on the ceiling of his hut, to keep it safe from mice.

That night, as he lay on his cot beneath the hanging pot, he began to dream up an elaborate future. "I will sell this ghee in the market," he thought, "and with the money I earn, I'll buy some goats."

"Those goats will have kids, and soon I'll have a whole herd. I'll sell them and buy cows, then buffaloes, then horses. I will become a wealthy man."

He continued dreaming, "Then I'll build myself a grand house and marry a beautiful woman. We will have a lovely son, whom I will name Somasharma."

"And if, when my wife brings me my meal while I'm busy with important work, she keeps calling out and disturbing me again and again, I will surely lose my temper and shout at her!"

So vividly imagining this scene, the Brahmin swung his arm through the air in mock anger, as though scolding his imaginary wife. His hand struck the hanging pot above him, knocking it down. The pot shattered, and all the ghee and rice spilled across the floor and over his own body.

In an instant, his entire daydream was shattered along with the pot. The small amount of wealth he actually possessed was now lost forever, all because he had become lost in fanciful plans for the future.

Moral: Building castles in the air while ignoring the present is dangerous. We must value what we have and move forward thoughtfully, not carelessly.