Return to Happiness
The Life of Ramdass
Ramdass was a young man who lived in a bazaar and earned his livelihood through hard work. He spent his nights sleeping on the veranda of an inn, where the innkeeper liked him, and Ramdass felt quite happy.
A Change of Fortune
One day, after doing some strenuous work, Ramdass returned to the inn utterly exhausted. As he was about to sleep, he noticed a few beggars cooking their food at a distance. “How lucky these fellows are! They do no labor; yet they live just as I do!” he thought.
The Allure of Begging
Struck by this thought, Ramdass decided to stop working and instead went near a temple to implore the devotees for alms. Some gave him bits of food, and others tossed him coins. “Not bad,” he mused by the end of the day.
Although he earned more from his previous work, once he embraced begging, he found it increasingly alluring. He discovered new locations and learned various ways to attract the attention of passersby, quickly becoming an accomplished beggar.
A Dangerous Encounter
A year passed, and one night, while the other guests were asleep, Ramdass overheard two men conversing in hushed voices inside the inn. Driven by curiosity, he spied on them and soon realized they were thieves dividing up stolen goods.
As he crept closer and hid behind a pillar, he caught sight of their bounty—coins, ornaments, and a variety of valuable items. The thieves looked quite pleased with themselves.
The Temptation of Theft
Seeing their wealth, Ramdass’s eyes widened. “Why shouldn’t I try stealing too? If I can get my hands on something valuable, I won’t need to worry about my livelihood for weeks or even months!”
He began stealing and, within a day or two, had enough to sustain himself for a month. However, the thrill of stealing became addictive, and he continued even when he had no need to.
The Fall from Grace
But one fateful night, he was caught red-handed. After a severe beating, he was handed over to the police. Following a trial, he was sentenced to two years in prison.
Seeking Redemption
Upon his release, Ramdass yearned to return to begging, but the people of the bazaar scorned him, shouting, “In daylight, you’ll spy on our wealth; at night, you’ll steal it. No alms for you!”
Desperate, he wished to revert to honest work. But the townspeople rejected him, saying, “No work for a thief!” as they closed their doors in his face.
A New Beginning
Reduced to a miserable condition, Ramdass left the bazaar and traveled to a distant town. There, he found work in a building under construction.
At the end of the day, as he received his paycheck for the work he had done, he told himself, “I have not felt this kind of satisfaction in the last three years!” Ramdass realized that although begging and stealing brought him easy money, they had deprived him of true happiness.