On the other hand, the other dealer was not so far-sighted. He at once agreed to go ahead. He was secretly happy. He said to himself—“My bullocks will have full supply of fodder. A clear tract will make my journey easier. Besides, as I reach there first, I will be able to sell my goods at a higher price.”
The clever graindealer, who had decided to defer his journey, had different thoughts. He expected to reap more benefits from his decision. He mused—“If I travel after him, my bullocks will get less exhausted. They will have to tread a readymade tract and, therefore, will take less time to reach there. We will have water from the wells they would have dug. Finally, it will be easier to dispose our goods. We could easily sell it at the price fixed by them.”
Their way passed through a stretch of desert. The foolish graindealer showed some wisdom and took large pitchers of water with him. But, he overlooked other potential dangers of the desert. He was aware of the threats from the bandits and the wild animals only.
His caravan moved on, and soon they were in the desert, where an unforeseen trouble awaited him. The desert was inhabited by certain man-eating giants. When the giants saw the bullock-carts approaching in a caravan, they planned to devour them. They realised that if they could rid them of their pitchers of water, it would be easier to strike them. They disguised as men and approached them in bullock-carts. They appeared drenched, as if rain-soaked. They put some mud on the wheels of their bullock-carts to impress upon the foolish merchant that there was water on the way.
As the two caravans came across, the foolish graindealer and his men looked in surprise. They were tormented by the hot desert winds. Their carts could hardly move through the sands.
The giants’ leader spoke to the graindealer. He said—“It is raining heavily there. The place has green forests and deep ponds with lotus blooming in them. Clear water flows down the hills. Why should you carry these pitchers with you? Throw them and move at ease.”
The foolish graindealer was easily duped by the giants. He spilled the water and broke the pitchers before moving ahead. When they felt thirsty, there was no water for them. They halted for the night. They unbridled the bullocks, tied them to the wheels, and prepared to retire. But, they were tormented by thirst. They had nothing to eat either. Shortly, they were overtaken by the giants, who killed and devoured them at once. Their remains lay scattered over the desert. Thus, the graindealer’s folly led to the mass destruction of the caravan.
A fortnight following that, the clever graindealer also set out with his five hundred bullock-carts. As he approached the desert, he loaded enough water on his carts. He assembled his men and told them— “Water is most precious in the desert. Therefore, you should not have water without asking me. Do not pluck a fruit from any wayside tree. Travelling through a desert is very tedious, so you should hold courage.”
As his caravan passed through the desert, the man-eaters saw them. They were glad, and they decided to devour them too. They reappeared in their earlier disguise. But, this graindealer was not game. He recognised the giants at once. He said to himself —“This desert has no water. That is why it is named Nirjala Kantara or a dry desert. Their eyes are red. They cast no shadows. They must be man-eating giants. They would have tricked the merchant going before me into spilling the water, and then devoured them. But, he cannot befool me.”
The clever graindealer called the giants’ leader and said—“We merchants would not spill the water we have before we find another source. We will throw away our water only when we have another source of water in sight.”
The giants were frustrated. They travelled a short distance, and disappeared in the thin air. When they were gone, the clever graindealer’s men said—“Sir! They said there were green patches ahead and it is raining. Their clothes were drenched. There must be water ahead. We must empty our pitchers. It will lighten the cart load and make our going easier.”
The clever graindealer ordered the caravan to stop, and called all the men. He asked them—“Have anyone of you even heard that it rains heavily in this desert? Have you ever heard about the existence of a pond or a well here?”
“No Sir! We have only heard that the land is called a dry desert.”
“They said that there are green patches ahead and it rains there. Now, tell me, how far a rain wind could be felt?”
“For a yojana (six miles distance), sir.” “Does anyone of you feel a cool breeze?”
“No sir!”
“How far could one see the rain clouds?”
“A yojana, sir!”
“Does anyone of you see dark clouds?”
“No, sir!”
“How far is a lightning seen?”
“Up to four or five yojanas, sir!”
“Does anyone of you see a lightning flash?”
“No, sir!”
“How far is a thunder heard?”
“Up to one or two yojanas, sir!”
“Did anyone of you hear a thunder?”
“No, sir!”
“Then, listen. They were not men, but giants. They wanted us to throw away our water and die of thirst. They are man-eaters. They must have planned to make us too weak to resist so that they could devour us. It seems that these giants tricked the caravan before us into spilling their water, and then devoured them all. Therefore, you should not spill even a drop of water and drive on.”
As the caravan led by the clever graindealer moved ahead, they encountered the five hundred carts loaded with the goods. The remains of the foolish merchant, his men and bullocks lay scattered all over. The clever merchant’s men were stunned by the sight. Their leader decided to halt there for the night. The bullocks were unbridled and the tents were pitched. They ate a sumptuous dinner and retired for the night. The following morning, they unloaded their carts at the nearby town and sold their goods at profitable prices. Finally, they returned home, fully satisfied and happy.
Appannakang thanameke dutiyang ahu takkika.
Etavajnaya medhavi tang ganhe yadapannakang.
(Some wise men are speaking the truth, while there are others who are telling a lie. Knowing this, the wise men should receive what is true.)
The story is republished from Jataka Tales, Retold by Madhukar Piplayan, with permission from the publisher, Samyak Prakashan.
#Buddha #Buddhism #Zen #Life #Lifestyle #wisdomwinds
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