Night passes away, and then day
dawns; the moon goes down and the sun rises; thus does youth depart,
and old age comes on, and thus Time pursues his course:
But although
man sees all these things, he does not become wise. There are bodies of
many kinds, and minds of many kinds, and affections or fascinations of
many kinds, and Brahma has created wickedness of many kinds; but a wise
man, having escaped from these, and having subdued hope and avarice,
and shaved his head, and taken a stick and water-pot in his hands,
having subjugated the passion of love and anger, and become a 'Jogee,'
who wanders and travels about with naked feet to places of pilgrimage,
obtains final liberation. And, behold, this world is like a dream."
The derivation of the word "Fukeer," and an illustration of the
disposition of the mendicant race, is given in a Persian tale,
called the "Four Dervishes." The story was originally narrated to
amuse a king of Delhi, who was sick, and was afterwards DONE into
Hindostanee by a Mussulman author, who styles himself, "This wicked
sinner, Meer Ammun of Delhi."
The speaker, a certain prince, who aspires to the title of "generous,"
has built a lofty house, with forty high and spacious doors, where, at
all times, from morning to evening, he gives rupees and gold mohurs[35]
to the poor and necessitous, and whoever asks for anything he satisfies
him. "One day a Fukeer came to the front door and begged. I gave him
a gold mohur; again he came to a second door, and asked for two gold
mohurs. I passed over the matter, and gave him two gold mohurs.
"In this manner he came to every door, and asked for an additional
gold mohur each time, and I gave him according to his request. Having
come to the fortieth door, and received forty gold mohurs, he came
in again by the first door, and begged afresh.
"This appeared to me a very bad action on his part. I said to him,
'O avaricious man! what sort of mendicant art thou, who knowest not the
three letters of "Fukur" (POVERTY), according to which a Fukeer should
act?' The Fukeer said, 'Well, O liberal person, do you explain them to
me.' I replied, 'The three letters are F, K, and R. From F comes "faka"
(FASTING); from K, "kinaut" (CONTENTMENT); and from R comes "reeazut"
(ABSTINENCE). He is not a Fukeer in whom these qualities are not. Oh,
avaricious creature! you have taken from forty doors, from one gold
mohur to forty. Calculate, therefore, how many you have received. And,
in addition to this, your avarice has brought you again to the first
door. Expend what you have received, and return and take whatever you
ask for. A Fukeer should take thought for one day; on the second day
there will be some fresh bestower of alms.' Having heard this speech of
mine, he became angry and dissatisfied, and threw all he had received
from me on the ground, and said, 'Enough, father; be not so warm;
take all your presents back again.
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