Once upon a time, there was a man living in the narrow and impoverished streets of Varanasi, by the banks of the Ganges River. His name was Rahul. Rahul lived with his wife and three children in a shabby mud-brick house.
Every day, to provide for his family, he would go down to the river and sift through the waters, hoping to find small particles of gold. Since the river had carried rich soils for centuries, he believed it might also carry gold. And he wasn’t wrong in his thinking. Though not every time, occasionally, a few specks of gold would wink at him from the bottom of his sieve, buried in the mud.
With great joy, he would wash them and place them in his pouch. Then, after thoroughly cleaning his tools, he would head home. Once he had saved enough, he would melt the gold and turn it into two separate sheets. His wife and children would watch from afar with great curiosity as he melted the gold and poured it into the mold. After cooling the sheets, he would polish them and hand them over to his curious little daughter and wife, who would gaze at them with sparkling eyes, admiring the beauty of the gold. How beautiful they were! After that, Rahul would tie the gold sheets to his waist and head to the wealthy district. He would give one of the sheets to a moneylender to pay off part of his brother's debt, and the other he would sell at a jeweler’s to convert into cash to settle his debts with the local shopkeepers.
Rahul's life was filled with hardships. His search for gold not only provided for his family but also gave him a source of hope. Every time he dipped his sieve into the water, his heart would fill with the dream of finding a shining treasure. Perhaps one day, he would discover a large chunk of gold, and all his troubles would come to an end. Who knows?
His brother had borrowed a large sum from the most notorious moneylender in town, and when he couldn't repay it, Rahul had to act as his guarantor, saving his brother's life. His younger brother also came to him, wanting to marry off his son, but the bride's family demanded a significant amount of gold. Rahul, trusting his brother's promise to return it, gave away his wife's bracelets and the gold he had saved. But his brother never followed through. In India, gold was a symbol of prestige. During some weddings in the summer, people would wear kilograms of gold. As Rahul passed by his younger brother’s house in the wealthy neighborhood, he couldn’t understand why people were so cruel to him when he had been so kind to everyone. Before visiting the shopkeepers, he decided to stop by the temple to pray. Just then, his brother, whom he had rescued from the moneylender, appeared from the other side. His brother, not realizing Rahul had seen him, would have changed his path and disappeared from view.
"Rahulji, where are you headed, lost in thought?"
He was riding a magnificent, dark horse, dressed in white like a British officer. When Rahul saw his weary, sunken face reflected in his brother’s polished boot, a wave of sadness washed over him.
"I'm going to the temple, bhai!" His brother had recovered, set his affairs in order, but had forgotten that Rahul had been his guarantor and that his family had been living on the brink of starvation because of his debts.
"Don't forget to pray for us too, Rahulji. I'll visit you soon with gifts."
He spurred his horse gallantly, and they parted ways.
"The gods rule over time, and mankind is destined only to die," was written at the entrance of the temple. Muttering prayers, Rahul entered. His soul was so burdened that there seemed to be no space left in his impoverished body for divine peace. Without taking his eyes off the golden statue of Lord Ganesha, he continued his prayers. But he couldn’t recapture that old sense of peace and lightness. An idea that clung to his mind like a leech refused to go away. The thought of stealing the golden statue of Lord Ganesha and melting it down delighted him so much that he hadn’t felt such excitement in a long time. It could help him pay off all his debts and free him from this miserable life. After all, weren’t the gods there for such things?
Later, he felt ashamed of these thoughts that weighed on his heart. How could he think such things in the sacred temple? Curling up beside a wall, he nearly broke down in tears. Soon, he drifted into a sweet sleep. In his dream, he was diving into the waters of the Ganges. He was as agile and free as a fish. Then, he saw a gleam stuck in the mud at the bottom. Swimming quickly toward it, he pulled out a lump of gold, the size of two fists. He had never seen one this big. His heart filled with unbearable lightness and triumph. Emerging from the water, he wrapped the lump in a cloth and made his way to the temple. When he arrived at the temple, he saw himself lying peacefully asleep by the wall. He then went to the priests and offered the gold lump to the temple, begging the gods to forgive him for his sinful thoughts that day.
When Rahul awoke, he felt as light as a feather. He had had a beautiful and meaningful dream. After praying for forgiveness from Lord Ganesha, he vowed to donate his earnings for the week to the temple. Another week of tightening their belts wouldn't harm anyone, he thought.
As he left the temple, he saw his brother again, this time smiling as he dismounted his horse. Who knew how many rupees he had paid for such a horse? His brother came up to him and respectfully kissed his hand. He told Rahul that he had started making money again through a tea export business with a partner in England. That very evening, he was setting off for England by ship. He was grateful for everything Rahul had done for him. He handed Rahul a bag he had been holding. Rahul took it in shock—it was quite heavy. When he opened it, he saw it was full of money. There were even a few gold bars inside.
"Stop! What are you doing? You'll have every thief in the city after you!" Rahul exclaimed.
"There's more here than I need; I can't accept this," he said, trying to hand the bag back.
"You've earned every penny, brother! Take care of yourself and your family. Give my nieces and nephews a kiss for me." They hugged and cried. His brother mounted his horse and rode off into the distance.
Now, Rahul was left standing there, holding what some would call a great burden, and others a great fortune. On one hand, he felt joy and elation, but on the other, he was filled with confusion. The promise he had made at the temple came to mind. Should he leave the bag at the altar of the gods, or should he follow the path of those who walk the slippery slope? Clutching the bag tightly to his chest, he crossed the road. The streets, filled with the usual bustling, impoverished crowd, continued to hum with life. In the distance, a cool breeze blew, and the trees lining the path to the river sighed and groaned.
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