The web of greed

           
                                  The web of greed


There was a king. He was new to the throne. He was very ambitious , conquered many countries and collected a lot of wealth. Once a saint visited the king. The king asked the saint, "  Noble soul ! what service should I do for you ?  I have enormous wealth to give." The saint had a small bowl and extending the same to the king told him to fill it.
The king said, " Respected Sir ! I will get this small bowl of yours filled with rare precious gems, gold and silver so that there will not be any dearth of money for the rest of your life."
At the order of the king, the treasurer started filling that bowl with rare precious gems. But the bowl was not full, with all the riches remaining at the bottom only. Soon the royal treasury itself became empty. There was nothing left there to add. The king was surprised and bowed before the saint, " Noble soul ! This bowl is made up of which material ? The entire treasury has been emptied still this small bowl is not full."
The saint smiled and replied, " Oh king, this bowl is made up of the bones of human skull. It is insatiable in nature. The human brain works all the time to fulfill its desires and desires know no limit."
Hearing this, the king was startled and asked the saint politely, " Noble Sir, your words have aroused my curiosity. Please explain to me in detail."
The saint explained, "  Oh king, the greed is a deep pot which can never be filled up by the gems and the riches pf the entire earth. This greed makes a man dance like a monkey, makes him roam here and there like a dog, makes him blind like an owl even during Sunlight. Like a fish he gets into a bait of greed and caught in the web of endless difficulties."
Hearing these words, suddenly the king woke up. He realized that all along what he experienced was in his dream. But he was happy to learn a  lesson from that.

The story is symbolic. In the Bhagavadgita, Arjuna asks Lord Krishna, " Impelled by what does a man commit sin involuntarily, as though driven by force."
The Lord says, it is the desire. It is insatiable like fire, so wicked and deludes the man. Man should have control over the senses, mind and intellect to conquer this. This internal conquest is a must for a ruler.
Desire itself is not bad. But when it crosses beyond limits,it results in greed, an enemy of man. It is the duty of the king to protect his subjects from external and internal enemies and give them peace and happiness. The country should also be made prosperous but not at the cost of other countries.
The natural tendency of power to corrupt. So the king should not be elated by his riches and power. Like a philosopher he should set a moral standard for people to follow.

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