There
was a weaver called Mandharaka in a southern city. One day, when he was weaving
clothes, the wooden frames necessary for weaving were totally damaged. He went
to the forest to bring wood to make new frames. From the forest he drifted
towards the seashore where he saw a gigantic tree and thought that if he could
cut wood from the tree it would stand him in good stead throughout his life.
As he
started to cut the tree, a Yaksha living on that tree said, O weaver, this
tree is my home. So I have to protect it. I am very comfortable here enjoying
the cool breeze coming from the sea.
Mandharaka
said, Sir, If I do not cut the tree and take home its wood, my family will
starve and die. So, please go somewhere else. I have to cut this tree.
All
right, if you do not cut the tree, I will give you a boon of your choice, said
the Yaksha.
The
weaver said, Sir, in that case, I will go home and consult my wife and
friends. You can give me the boon later.
On the
Yaksha agreeing to it, Mandharaka went home and on his way he met his friend
who was a barber and asked him, Friend, a Yaksha has given me a boon of my
choice and gave me time to consult friends and my wife. What boon do you want
me to ask him?
Ask
him to give you a kingdom. You will be the king and I will be your minister.
Both of us can enjoy life here and hereafter, said the barber.
True.
But let me ask my wife also, said Mandharaka. The barber warned the weaver
against consulting his wife and said quoting learned people:
A wise man can give to his woman
Fine clothes, pearls and diamonds;
But never consult her on his affairs
Because women have low wits.
And as
Shankaracharya said that home that is run by women or children or tricksters
will meet ruin in the end.
The
weaver gently ignored the advice of the barber saying that he would
nevertheless consult his wife and went home. He told his wife the whole story
of the Yaksha and the boon he had offered.
Mandharaka
also told his wife that his friend, the barber, had advised him to ask for a
kingdom. His wife said, O my lord, how intelligent is a barber? Never listen
to his word. No wise man would consult children or barbers or servants or
beggars. Also,
Kingship has too many problems;
Conspiracies take away your peace.
With the crown come not only thorns
But also sinister plots and treason.
It was for the sake of kingdom
Lord Rama lived in the woods,
Pandava brothers fled into exile,
The Yadava dynasty disappeared,
King Nala embraced anonymity.
Therefore,
no wise man will invite kingship that leads to killing brothers, friends and
relatives, said the weavers wife.
The
weaver replied, My dear, what you say is true. But you havent told me what
boon I should choose.
The
wife said, Every day you are able to weave a single piece of cloth. Thats
barely enough to meet our daily needs. Therefore ask the Yaksha to give you
another head and two more hands. That helps you to weave two pieces of cloth
every day instead of one. The first piece will help us meet our daily needs.
The second one will help us meet special needs. We can sail through life
comfortably and happily.
The
weaver was happy with the advice his wife gave and went to the Yaksha and
prayed to him, Sir, you have kindly given me a choice. I request you to give
me two more hands and an extra head.
At
once, he had four hands and two heads. Happily, he began his homeward journey.
Onthe way people saw him and mistaking him for some monster hammered him with
sticks and stones. The poor weaver died on the spot,
Chakradhara
continued, Thats why, as I have said earlier:
He who has no wits of his own
Or does not heed advice of friends
Perishes like the weaver, Mandhara.
When
the devil of greed dances on their head, people will become objects of ridicule
like me. The elders have said:
He who covets the impossible
Or builds castles in the air
Comes to certain grief like
Poor Soma Sarmas father.
Suvarnasiddhi
asked him how. Chakradhara tells him the following story about
Soma
Sarmas father
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