Scene IV
(The Brahmin enters his village and approaches his home. Many men and women servants are moving around.)BRAHMIN: Oh God! Where is my cottage? Standing where my home, my tiny cottage, was, I see a big building, a huge palace. I see servants and maids. (Looking in.) From here I can see that it is full of expensive furniture, and it is decorated with elaborate ornaments. (Turning to one servant who is passing by.) What happened to the cottage that was here?
SERVANT: Oh, don’t you know? The owner is now wallowing in riches.
BYSTANDER: He went to his friend, Krishna, and Krishna gave him all this wealth.
BRAHMIN: Ah! Now I know the whole story. (His wife appears briefly in the doorway, dressed in costly garments and jewels.) Now my wife is decked in a most expensive, beautiful dress, and I see a flood of joy in her face. Hundreds of servants are waiting to attend me. But an inner pang shoots through me. O Lord Krishna, you have deceived me! Now how can I think of you? You pleased me when I was with you. Now you have pleased my wife. But here is temptation. My wife did not care for the spiritual life. Now that she is rich it will be worse; she will never care for it! Perhaps my spiritual life will come to an end as well. I will become involved in these ordinary earthly things, ephemeral glittering things.
(Suddenly Krishna appears before the Brahmin in a vision.)
BRAHMIN: O Krishna, feed me only with inner wealth. I want to live in you and receive your inner wealth, not this outer wealth. O my eternal friend, beloved Krishna, keep me inside your heart and feed me with your Compassion, Peace, Light and Bliss. And I pray to you to transform my wife’s consciousness so that she will also realise that earthly wealth is no wealth — only inner wealth is worth having.
KRISHNA: My childhood friend, do you think I would betray you? You sought only inner wealth, and I have given you all that I am. Your wife sought outer wealth, and I have given her all that I have. After a while she will get tired of this outer wealth, she will see that it does not satisfy her, and then she too will cry for Light, Peace and Bliss. And then you both will run side by side to your Goal: my Infinity’s Breath and my Eternity’s Life.
