हम तो कबहु न निज घर आए
Summary
A shepherd once went to a king's court to plead his case, but guards stopped him at the outer gate due to his poor appearance. Despite his pleas, the guards showed no pity. Whenever questioned, he repeated a riddle, leading the guards to think him mad. They tied him up and left him aside. He refused food and water. One guard eventually took pity and informed the king about the man who had been repeating a riddle for a week and wished to appear before him. The king ordered him brought to court. When the king asked what he wanted, the shepherd repeated his riddle: "What can I say, nothing can be said, yet cannot remain unsaid. A thing happened in the forest—the king gave seven villages, all seven villages graze goats." The king did not understand and ordered his minister to explain. Then the shepherd, thirsty, gestured for water by cupping his hands to his mouth. This reminded the king of a past incident when he was lost in the forest while hunting, parched with thirst. He had encountered a shepherd grazing goats, who gave him water from a well under a peepal tree. Grateful, the king wrote on a peepal leaf a grant of seven villages, seven hundred gold coins, elephants, and horses, telling the shepherd to present the leaf at court to receive the gifts. The shepherd later fell asleep under the peepal tree, placing the leaf under his headcloth. A goat saw this and ate the leaf. When he woke, the leaf was gone. He returned home and told his wife, who blamed his carelessness. Later, in dire straits, his wife sent him to the king. The king, recalling the incident, asked for the leaf. The shepherd explained what happened. The king then honored him with gold coins and seven villages. The story concludes that the shepherd's deep sleep and the goat eating the grant symbolize how worldly attachments cause spiritual forgetfulness, leading to the loss of one's true self.
Conclusion
The story's conclusion underscores the profound spiritual implications of human negligence and the cyclical nature of suffering. The goatherd's loss of the royal grant due to his deep sleep and a goat's consumption of the leaf symbolizes how individuals, lost in worldly attachments and sensory distractions, forfeit their innate spiritual inheritance—the "self-jagir" or soul's true wealth. This allegory highlights that until one awakens from the stupor of material desires and ego, the "goats" of worldly pursuits will continue to devour one's spiritual gains. The narrative ultimately advocates for self-awareness and learning from past mistakes, suggesting that recognizing one's errors, especially after receiving guidance from a true teacher, is crucial for breaking the cycle of rebirth and attaining liberation. The goatherd's eventual redemption by the king's grace mirrors the possibility of divine mercy when one sincerely seeks correction.