Day 237: The Legend of the Mendicant

Day 237: The Legend of the Mendicant

The Power of Thought
Vasistha narrates the story of a mendicant whose purified mind could materialize thoughts. Tired of meditation, he dreamt of being born in a non-Brahmana family. He then dreamt of being a Brahmana, a king, and various other forms, each dream leading to another.

The mendicant's mind, having been purified by meditation, possessed the power to materialize its thoughts. One day, tired of continuous meditation, he fancied birth as an illiterate person from a non-Brahmana family. Instantly, he became a tribesman and experienced life as Jivata.

Cycle of Dreams
In each dream, the mendicant experienced different lives, from a tribesman to a celestial nymph, a deer, a creeper, a bee, and an elephant. Each form led to another dream, illustrating the endless cycle of dreams and the power of the mind to create various realities.

While living as Jivata, he got drunk, slept, and dreamt that he was a Brahmana endowed with scriptural knowledge. As a Brahmana, he dreamt of being a powerful king. As the king, he indulged in royal pleasures, slept, and dreamt of being a celestial nymph. The nymph dreamt of being a deer, the deer dreamt of being a creeper, and the creeper dreamt of being a bee.

The bee became attached to a flower, only to be crushed by an elephant. The bee then dreamt of becoming an elephant, which was captured by a king. The elephant saw a hive of bees and remembered its past birth, becoming a bee again. This cycle continued, illustrating the endless nature of dreams and the mind's power to create realities.

Each dream led to another form, further demonstrating the mind's power to create various realities. The mendicant's consciousness, having materialized thoughts into different lives, continued this cycle of dreams until his consciousness became embodied in a swan. This legend illustrates the endless nature of dreams and the mind's power to create various realities.