{"id":3222,"date":"2013-07-13T01:46:45","date_gmt":"2013-07-13T01:46:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost\/?p=3222"},"modified":"2013-07-13T01:46:45","modified_gmt":"2013-07-13T01:46:45","slug":"04-a-dream-vol-writings-in-bengali-translation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/01-works-of-sri-aurobindo\/02-other-editions\/writings-in-bengali-translation\/04-a-dream-vol-writings-in-bengali-translation","title":{"rendered":"-04_A Dream.htm"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n\n\n
\n

\nII STORIES<\/font><\/p>\n

\n\n\n
\n
\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n

\nA Dream <\/font><\/p>\n

\n <\/p>\n

\nA poor man was sitting in a dark hut thinking of his
\nmiseries and of the injustice and wrongs that could be found
\nin this world of God’s making. Out of abhiman<\/i> he began to
\nmutter to himself, "As men do not want to cast a slur on
\nGod’s name, they put the blame on Karma. If my misfortunes are really due to the sins committed in my previous
\nbirth and if I was so great a sinner, then currents of evil
\nthoughts should still be passing through my mind. Can the
\nmind of such a wicked person get cleansed so soon? And
\nwhat about that Tinkari Sheel who has such colossal wealth
\nand commands so many people! If there is anything like the
\nfruits of Karma, then surely he must have been a famous
\nsaint and sadhu in his previous life; but I see no trace of that
\nat all in his present birth. I don’t think a bigger rogue
\nexists\u2014one so cruel and crooked. All these tales about
\nKarma are just clever inventions of God to console man’s
\nmind. Shyamsundar’ is very tricky; luckily he does not reveal
\nhimself to me, otherwise I would teach him such a lesson that
\nhe would stop playing these tricks." <\/font><\/p>\n

\nAs soon as he finished muttering, the man saw that his
\ndark room was flooded with a dazzling light. After a while
\nthe luminous waves faded and he found in front of him a
\ncharming boy of a dusky complexion standing with a lamp in
\nhis hand, and smiling sweetly without saying a word.
\nNoticing the musical anklets round his feet and the peacock
\nplume, the man understood that Shyamsnndar had revealed
\nhimself. At first he was at a loss what to do; for a moment he <\/font><\/p>\n

\n <\/p>\n

\n     ‘ One of Sri Krishna’s names.
\n<\/font><\/p>\n

\nPage-11<\/font><\/p>\n

\n

\nthought of bowing at his feet, but looking at the boy’s smiling
\nface no longer felt like making his obeisance. At last he burst
\nout with the words, "Hello, Keshia,’ what makes you come
\nhere?" The boy replied with a smile, "Well, didn’t you call
\nme? Just now you had the desire to whip me! That is why I
\nam surrendering myself to you. Come along, whip me." The
\nman was now even more confounded than before, but not
\nwith any repentance for the desire to whip the Divine: the
\nidea of punishing instead of patting such a sweet youngster
\ndid not appeal to him. The boy spoke again, "You see,
\nHarimohon, those who, instead of fearing me, treat me as a
\nfriend, scold me out of affection and want to play with me, I
\nlove very much. I have created this world for my play only; I
\nam always on the lookout for a suitable playmate. But,
\nbrother, I find no one. All are angry with me, make demands
\non me, want boons from me; they want honour, liberation,
\ndevotion\u2014nobody wants me. I give whatever they ask for.
\nWhat am I to do? I have to please them; otherwise they will
\ntear me to pieces. You too, I find, want something from me.
\nYou are vexed and want to whip some one. In order to
\nsatisfy that desire you have called me. Here I am, ready to be
\nwhipped. Ye yatha mam prapadyante, 1<\/i> accept whatever
\npeople offer me. But before you beat me, if you wish to
\nknow my ways, I shall explain them to you. Are you
\nwilling?" Harimohon replied, "Are you capable of that? I
\nsee that you can talk a good deal, but how am I to believe
\nthat a mere child like you can teach me something?" The
\nboy smiled again and said, "Come, see whether I can or
\nnot." <\/font><\/p>\n

\nThen Sri Krishna placed his palm on Harimohon’s head.
\nInstantly electric currents started flowing all through his
\nbody; from the muladdhar <\/i> the slumbering kundalini<\/i> power <\/font><\/p>\n

\n <\/p>\n

\n  ‘ One of Sri Krishna’s names. <\/font><\/p>\n

\nPage-12<\/font><\/p>\n

\n

\nwent up running to the head-centre (brahmarandhra),<\/i> his-
\nsing like a serpent of flame; the head became filled with the
\nvibration of life-energy. The next moment it seemed to
\nHarimohon that the walls around were moving away from
\nhim, as if the world of forms and names was fading into
\nInfinity leaving him alone. Then he became unconscious.
\nWhen he came back to his senses, he found himself with the
\nboy in an unknown house, standing before an old man who
\nwas sitting on a cushion, plunged in deep thought, his cheek
\nresting on his palm. Looking at that heart-rending despondent face distorted by tormenting thoughts and anxiety,
\nHarimohon could not believe that this was Tinkari Sheel, the
\nall-in-all in their village. Then, extremely frightened, he
\nasked the boy, "Keshta, what have you done? You have
\nentered someone’s dwelling in the dead of night like a thief !
\nThe police will come and thrash the life out of us. Don’t you
\nknow Tinkari Sheel’s power?" The boy laughed and said, "I
\nknow it pretty well. But stealing is an old practice of mine,
\nand, besides, I am on good terms with the police. Don’t you
\nfear. Now I am giving you the inner sight, look inside the old
\nman. You know Tinkari’s power, now witness how mighty I
\nam." <\/font><\/p>\n

\nAt once Harimohon could see into the man’s mind. He saw, as in an opulent city ravaged by a victorious enemy,
\ninnumerable terrible-looking demons and ogres who had
\nentered into that brilliant intelligence, disturbing its peace
\nand composure, plundering its happiness. The old man had
\nquarreled with his young son and turned him out; the sorrow
\nof losing his beloved child had cowed down his spirit, but
\nanger, pride and vanity had shut the door of his heart and
\nwere guarding it. Forgiveness had no entry there. Hearing
\ncalumnies against his own daughter he had driven her away
\nand was lamenting over the cherished one he had lost. He
\nknew that she was chaste but the fear of social censure and a <\/font><\/p>\n

\nPage-13<\/font><\/p>\n

\n

\nfeeling of shame coupled with his own arrogance and selfishness had put a curb on his affection. Frightened by the
\nmemory of a thousand sins the old man was trembling, but
\nhe did not have the courage or the strength to mend his evil
\nways. Now and then thoughts of death and of the other world
\ncame to him and filled him with terror. Harimohon saw also that from behind
\nthese morbid thoughts the hideous messenger of death was constantly peeping out and knocking at
\nthe door. Whenever this happened, the old man’s heart sank
\nand he frantically screamed with fear. <\/font><\/p>\n

\nHorrified by this sight Harimohon looked at the boy and
\nexclaimed, "Why, Keshta! I used to think this man the
\nhappiest of all!" The boy replied, "Just there lies my power.
\nTell me now which of the two is mightier\u2014this-Tinkari
\nSheel or Sri Krishna, the master of Vaikuntha? Look,
\nHarimohon, I too have the police, sentinels, government,
\nlaw, justice, I too can play the game of being a king; do you
\nlike this game?" "No, my child," answered Harimohon, "it
\nis a very cruel game. Why, do you like it?" The boy laughed
\nand declared, "I like all sorts of games; I like to whip as well as ‘to be
\nwhipped." Then he continued. "You see, Harimohon, people like you look at the outward appearance of
\n‘things and have not yet cultivated the subtle power of
\nlooking inside. Therefore you grumble that you are miserable and Tinkari is happy. This man has no material want; still, compared to you, how much more this millionaire is
\nsuffering! Can you guess why? Happiness is a state of mind,
\nmisery also is a state of mind. Both are only mind-created. He who possesses nothing, whose only possessions are
\ndifficulties, even he, if he wills, can be greatly happy. But
\njust as you cannot find happiness after spending your days in
\ndry piety, and as you are always dwelling upon your miseries
\nso too this man who spends his days in sins which give him no
\nreal pleasure is now thinking only of his miseries. All this is <\/font><\/p>\n

\nPage-14<\/font><\/p>\n

\n

\nthe fleeting happiness of virtue and the fleeting misery of
\nvice, or the fleeting misery of virtue and the fleeting happiness of vice. There is no joy in this conflict. The image of the
\nabode of bliss is with me: he who comes to me, falls in love
\nwith me, wants me, lays his demands on me, torments
\nme\u2014he alone can succeed in getting my image of bliss."
\nHarimohon went on eagerly listening to these words of Sri
\nKrishna. The boy continued, "And look here, Harimohon,
\ndry piety has lost its charm for you, but in spite of that you
\ncannot give it up, habit’ binds you to it; you cannot even
\nconquer this petty vanity of being pious. This old man, on
\nthe other hand, gets no joy from his sins, yet he too cannot
\nabandon them because he is habituated to them, and is
\nsuffering hell’s own agonies in this life. These are the bonds
\nof virtue and vice; fixed and rigid notions, born of ignorance,
\nare the ropes of these bonds. But the sufferings of that old
\nman are indeed a happy sign. They will do him good and
\nsoon liberate him." <\/font><\/p>\n

\nSo far Harimohon had been listening silently to Sri
\nKrishna’s words. Now he spoke out, "Keshta, your words
\nare undoubtedly sweet, but I don’t trust them. Happiness
\nand misery may be states of mind, but outer circumstances
\nare their cause. Tell me, when the mind is restless because of
\nstarvation, can anyone be happy? Or when the body is
\n, suffering from a disease or enduring pain, can any one think
\nof you?" "Come, Harimohon, that too I shall show you,"
\nreplied the boy. <\/font><\/p>\n

\nAgain he placed his palm on Harimohon’s head. As soon
\nas he felt the touch, Harimohon saw no longer the dwelling
\nof Tinkari Sheel. On the beautiful, solitary and breezy
\nsummit of a hill an ascetic was seated, absorbed in meditation, with a huge tiger lying prone at his feet like a sentinel. <\/font><\/p>\n

\n   <\/font><\/p>\n

\n‘ Sanskara. <\/font><\/p>\n

\nPage-15<\/font><\/p>\n

\n

\nSeeing the tiger Harimohon’s own feet would not proceed
\nany further. But the boy forcibly dragged him near to the
\nascetic. Incapable of resisting the boy’s pull Harimohon had
\nto go. The boy said, "Look, Harimohon." Harimohon saw,
\nstretched out in front of his eyes, the ascetic’s mind like a
\ndiary on every page of which the name of Sri Krishna was
\ninscribed a thousand times. Beyond the gates of the Formless
\nSamadhi’ the ascetic was playing with Sri Krishna in the
\nsunlight. <\/font><\/p>\n

\nHarimohon saw again that the ascetic had been starving
\nfor many days, and for the last two his body had experienced
\nextreme suffering because of hunger and thirst. Reproachingly Harimohon asked, "What’s this, Keshta? Babaji
\nloves you so much and still he has to suffer from hunger and
\nthirst? Have you no common sense? Who shall feed him in
\nthis lonely forest home of tigers?" The boy answered, "I will
\nfeed him. But look here for another bit of fun." Harimohon
\nsaw the tiger go straight to an ant-hill which was close by and
\nbreak it with a single stroke of the paw. Hundreds of ants
\nscurried out and began stinging the ascetic angrily. The
\nascetic remained plunged in meditation, undisturbed, unmoved. Then the boy sweetly breathed in his ears,
\n"Beloved!" The ascetic opened his eyes. At first he felt no
\npain from the stings; the all-enchanting flute-call which the
\nwhole world longs for, was still ringing in his ears\u2014as it had
\nonce rung in Radha’s ears at Vrindavan. At last, the innumerable repeated stings made him conscious of his body. But
\nhe did not stir. Astonished, he began muttering to himself,
\n"How strange! I have never known such things! Obviously
\nit is Sri Krishna who is playing with me. In the guise of these
\ninsignificant ants he is stinging me." Harimohon saw that the
\nburning sensation no longer reached the ascetic’s mind. <\/font><\/p>\n

\nPage-16<\/font><\/p>\n

\n

\nRather every sting produced in him an intense ecstasy all
\nover his body, and, drunk with that ecstasy, he began to
\ndance, clapping his hands and singing the praise of Sri
\nKrishna. The ants dropped down from his body and fled. <\/font><\/p>\n

\nStupefied, Harimohon exclaimed, "Keshta, what is this
\nspell?" The boy clapped now his hands, swung round twice
\non his foot and laughed aloud, "I am the only magician on
\nearth. None shall understand this spell. This is my supreme
\nriddle. Did you see it? Amid this agony also he could think only of me. Look again." The ascetic sat down once more,
\nself-composed; his body went on suffering hunger and thirst,
\nbut his mind merely perceived the suffering and did not get
\ninvolved in it or affected by it. At this moment, a voice,
\nsweeter than a flute, called out from the hill, "Beloved!" Harimohon was startled. It was the very voice of Shyamsunder, sweeter than a flute. Then he saw a beautiful dusky –
\ncomplexioned boy come out from behind the rocks, carrying
\nin a dish excellent food and some fruits. Harimohon was
\ndumb-founded and looked towards Sri Krishna. The boy was
\nstanding beside him, yet the boy who was coming resembled
\nSri Krishna in every detail! This boy came and throwing a
\nlight on the ascetic, said, "See what I have brought for you."
\nThe ascetic smiled and asked, "Oh, you have come ? Why did
\nyou keep me starving so long? Well, take your seat and dine  with me." The ascetic and the boy started eating the food
\nfrom the dish, feeding each other, snatching away each
\nother’s share. After the meal was over, the boy took the dish
\nand disappeared into the darkness. <\/font><\/p>\n

\nHarimohon was about to ask something when, all of a
\nsudden, he saw that there was neither Sri Krishna nor the
\nascetic, neither the tiger nor any hill. He found himself living
\nin a well-to-do quarter of a town; he possessed much wealth,
\na family and children. Every day he was giving alms in
\ncharity to the Brahmins and to the beggars; he was regularly <\/font><\/p>\n

\nPage-17<\/font><\/p>\n

\n

\nrepeating the Divine Name three times a day; observing all
\nthe rites and rituals prescribed in the Shastras, he was
\nfollowing the path shown by Raghunandan, and was leading
\nthe life of an ideal father, an ideal husband and an ideal son. <\/font><\/p>\n

\nBut the next moment he saw to his dismay that the
\nresidents of the locality he was living in had neither mutual
\ngood-will nor any happiness; they considered the mechanical
\nobservance of social conventions the highest virtue. Instead
\nof the ecstatic feeling that had been his in the beginning, he
\nnow had a feeling of suffering. It seemed to him as if he had
\nbeen very thirsty but, lacking water, had been eating
\ndust,\u2014only dust, infinite dust. He ran away from that place
\nand went to another locality. There, in front of a grand
\nmansion, a huge crowd had gathered; words of blessing were
\non every one’s lips. Advancing he saw Tinkari Sheel seated
\non a verandah, distributing large amounts of money to the
\ncrowd; no one was going away empty-handed. Harimohon
\nchuckled and thought, "What is this dream? Tinkari Sheel is
\ngiving alms !" Then he looked into Tinkari’s mind. He saw
\nthat thousands of dissatisfactions and evil impulses such as
\ngreed, jealousy, passion, selfishness were all astir there. For
\nthe sake of virtuous appearance and fame, out of vanity,
\nTinkari had kept them suppressed, kept them starving,
\ninstead of driving them away from within. <\/font><\/p>\n

\nIn the meantime someone took Harimohon on a swift visit
\nto the other world. He saw the hells and heavens of the
\nHindus, those of the Christians, the Muslims and the
\nGreeks, and also many other hells and heavens. Then he
\nfound himself sitting once more in his own hut, on the same
\nold torn and dirty mattress with Shyamsundar in front of
\nhim. The boy remarked, "It is quite late in the night; now if I
\ndon’t return home I shall get a scolding, everybody will start
\nbeating me. Let me therefore be brief. The hells and the
\nheavens you have visited are nothing but a dream-world, a <\/font><\/p>\n

\nPage-18<\/font><\/p>\n

\n

\ncreation of your mind. After death man goes to hell or
\nheaven and somewhere works out the tendencies that existed
\nin him during his last birth. In your previous birth you were
\nonly virtuous, love found no way into your heart; you loved
\nneither God nor man. After leaving your body you had to
\nwork out your old trend of nature, and so lived in imagination among middle-class people in a world of dreams; and as
\nyou went on leading that life you ceased to like it any more.
\nYou became restless and came away from there only to live
\nin a hell made of dust; finally you enjoyed the fruits of your
\nvirtues and, having exhausted them, took birth again. In that
\nlife, except for your formal alms-giving and your soulless
\nsuperficial dealings, you never cared to relieve anyone’s
\nwants\u2014therefore you have so many wants in this life. And
\nthe reason why you are still going on with this soulless virtue
\nis that you cannot exhaust the karma of virtues and vices in
\nthe world of dream, it has to be worked out in this world. On
\nthe other hand, Tinkari was charity itself in his past life and
\nso, blessed by thousands of people, he has in this life become
\na millionaire and knows no poverty; but as he was not
\ncompletely purified in his nature, his unsatisfied desires have
\nto feed on vice. Do you follow now the system of Karma?
\nThere is no reward or punishment, but evil creates evil, and
\ngood creates good. This is Nature’s law. Vice is evil, it
\nproduces misery; virtue is good, it leads to happiness. This procedure is meant
\nfor purification of nature, for the removal of evil. You see, Harimohon, this earth is only a
\nminute part of my world of infinite variety, but even then
\nyou take birth here in order to get rid of evil by the help of
\nKarma. When you are liberated from the hold of virtue and
\nvice and enter the realm of Love, then only you are freed of
\nthis activity. In your next birth you too will get free. I shall
\nsend you my dear sister, Power, along with Knowledge, her
\ncompanion; but. on one condition,\u2014you should be my <\/font><\/p>\n

\nPage-19<\/font><\/p>\n

\n

\nplaymate, and must not ask for liberation. Are you ready to
\naccept it?" Harimohon replied, "Well, Keshta, you have
\nhypnotised me! I intensely feel like taking you on my lap
\nand caressing you, as if I had no other desire in this life!" <\/font><\/p>\n

\nThe boy laughed and asked, "Did you follow what I said,
\nHarimohon?" "Yes, I did," he replied, then thought for a
\nwhile and said, "0 Keshta, again you are deceiving me. You
\nnever gave the reason why you created evil!" So saying, he caught hold of the
\nboy’s hand. But the boy, setting himself free, rebuked Harimohon, "Be off! Do
\nyou want to get out of me all my secrets in an hour’s time?" Suddenly the boy
\nblew out the lamp and said with a chuckle, "Well, Harimohon, you have forgotten
\nall about lashing me! Out of that fear I did not even sit on your lap, lest,
\nangry with your outward .miseries, you should teach me a lesson! I do not
\ntrust you any more." Harimohon stretched his arms forward, but the boy moved
\nfarther and said, "No Harimohon, I reserve that bliss for your next birth.
\nGood-bye." So saying, the boy disappeared into the dark night. Listening to the
\nchime of Sri Krishna’s musical anklets, Harimohon woke up gently. Then he began
\nthinking, "What sort of dream is this! I saw hell, I saw heaven, I called the
\nDivine rude names, taking him to be a mere stripling, I even scolded him. How
\nawful! But now I am feeling very peaceful." Then Harimohon began recollecting the charming image of the dusky-
\ncomplexioned boy, and went on murmuring from time to
\ntime, "How beautiful! How beautiful!" <\/font><\/p>\n

\nPage-20<\/font><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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