Datta Maata 225: Effect of dreams

To keep up the promise given, Harischandra had sold his wife to an old brahmin. He gave the money he had obtained to sage Vishwamitra. But, the sage said that the money was not sufficient. So, the king had to sell his son Lohita also to the old brahmin and gave the money to the sage. Once again, Vishwamitra said that the money was not all sufficient for him. He said that he would curse Harischandra if he did not give more money. Then, he decided to sell himself. So, he stood at a junction point and shouted that anyone could purchase him by that day's evening. Yama Dharma Raja took the guise of a Chandāla, a very ugly person. One could not even look at him. He was so ugly. He introduced himself as Chandāla and said, "I will purchase you. Tell me your price." Harischandra said, "It is fine if I die because of curse but I cannot certainly become a slave to Chandāla." Vishwamitra who was next to him asked, "Harischandra, who are you? You are now under my control. How can you say that you are not the slave of Chandāla? Be careful. You must listen to me because you are under my control. I am now selling you to him for 10 crores. Go and become his servant."

Harischandra could not do anything and hence he said to Chandāla that he is his servant from that day onwards. The Chandāla, beating the king with his stick took him to his graveyard. There, he gave a blanket, beggar's bowl and a big stick to the king. Later, he told Harischandra, his duty, his part of earnings for his work done and sent him to the graveyard. Harischandra did the job of a cemetery care taker. He did the same for an year. Those twelve months were like hundred years. He had neither sleep not food. There was extremely foul smell everywhere. Also, all the relatives of the dead bodies that arrived there cried bitterly. Somehow, Harsichandra had spent 12 months amidst the shoutings of wolves and wailings of dogs. After an year, Harischandra became restless. He slept that night and saw a dream. The dream was - Since he was used to the graveyard and because God is very powerful, he was born again and with that body itself, he lived like a cemetery caretaker again and gave Guru dakshina to Vishwamitra and became free from his grief. He was once again born in the womb of a Chandāla woman and soon after the birth, he decided to follow charities and righteousness. Also, he resolved to take birth as a cemetery caretaker and behave as a good caretaker. Later, he was born. When he was seven years old and was doing his job as a cemetery caretaker, dead body of a poor brahmin was brought to the graveyard by his wailing relatives. He was a small kid. He said that they cannot proceed with the cremation rituals if they do not give money. Then, in that dream itself the relatives remind him of his previous birth. They say, "In your previous birth, you were the King Harischandra. Because of Vishwamitra, you are now born as a the son of Chandāla. In that birth, you have not returned the wealth of a brahmin and hence you have now taken birth as a Chandāla. Once again even in this birth also, you are repeating the same. Hence, we curse you to go to dreadful hell and suffer punishments there." In that dream itself, Harischandra had suffered the tortures of hell for several years. He had experienced the difficulties of donkey, elephant, cat, worms and other beings in his dream itself. Hence, all his sins vanished. Tears unexpectedly rolled down the eyes of Harsichandra who was dreaming while he was asleep. He immediately got up. The story ahead is very big. All of us know. He consoled his wife who carried the dead body of her son and said that he had no other option except to die. Hence, he prepared a pyre and was about to jump into it. Meanwhile, sage Vishwamitra and other deities appeared there. They said, "Harsichandra! You have experienced all the difficulties in the dream itself. Hence, you are now free of all sins. All of this is the drama played by Vishwamitra only to enahnce your name and fame." Saying thus, they took him and his family to heaven. This is how a dream influences.