27

萨拿坦在恒河边数着念珠，一个衣衫褴褛的婆罗门走到他身边说：“帮帮我吧，我很穷！”

“我的全副家当只是一只乞食的碗，”萨拿坦说，“我已经散尽了所有的一切。”

“可湿婆神托了梦给我，”婆罗门说，“叫我来寻求你的帮助。”

萨拿坦突然想起，自己曾在河边的卵石堆里拣到一块无价的宝石。当时他想着可能会有人需要这件东西，于是便把它藏在了沙土下面。

他把宝石所在的地方指给婆罗门看，婆罗门满心惊讶地把宝石挖了出来。

接下来，婆罗门坐在地上独自冥想，直到太阳落到树林背后，牧人也赶着牛群回了家。

这时候他起了身，慢慢走到萨拿坦面前，说道：“师尊啊，有一种财富傲视世间所有的财富，给我哪怕是一点点那样的财富吧。”

说完之后，他便把宝石扔到了水里。

27

Sanātan was telling his beads by the Ganges when a Brahmin in rags came to him and said, "Help me, I am poor!"

"My alms-bowl is all that is my own," said Sanātan, "I have given away everything I had."

"But my lord Shiva came to me in my dreams," said the Brahmin, "and counselled me to come to you."

Sanātan suddenly remembered he had picked up a stone without price among the pebbles on the river-bank, and thinking that some one might need it hid it in the sands.

He pointed out the spot to the Brahmin, who wondering dug up the stone.

The Brahmin sat on the earth and mused alone till the sun went down behind the trees, and cowherds went home with their cattle.

Then he rose and came slowly to Sanātan and said, "Master, give me the least fraction of the wealth that disdains all the wealth of the world."

And he threw the precious stone into the water. lac98cF33A7cJzSgFKe4iq8cNeOuEp6Q3JSDj4+jWgYsQHwK6LdMw0JAO87/othm