It was the season of Deepavali. A man went to a shop to buy a saree. He made the salesman show him all the sarees in the shop and finally chose one. The saree was priced at two thousand rupees.
The man began to bargain. He asked the shop keeper-
“Will you give the saree for one thousand rupees?”
Since the man was the first customer of the day, the shop keeper wanted to be generous and agreed to sell the saree at one thousand rupees.
The man continued bargaining and asked the shop keeper-
“Will you give it for five hundred rupees?”
The shopkeeper agreed. The man was not satisfied, and continued-
“Will you give the saree for two hundred rupees?”
The shop keeper got so irritated with the customer that he said-
“Sir, you need not pay anything for the saree. Please take it and leave.”
Often our desires are endless and we are never satisfied with our possessions.
Once a king insultingly asked Bharthruhari, the great Sanskrit poet-
“What do you have? You are a beggar?”
Bharthruhari replied-
“Oh King, I am wearing the ochre robes, you are wearing silk robes; you may have great treasures but I have peace of mind; you have many unfulfilled desires; I do not want anything, I am satisfied. Hence I am rich you are poor.”
When our desires cease, peace dawns in our life.
