Storytelling Week 6: The Humble Farmer

There once was a farmer named Paul who lived with his family on a small plot of land.  He did not have very much in land and gold, but that didn't stop him from feeling like the wealthiest man on Earth.  For this farmer loved his family so much that no material possessions had any meaning to him and he only farmed enough food for what he and his family needed to survive.

Paul's sweet wife, Anne, took care of their modest house and tended to their son and his wife while Paul worked in the fields all day, as there was much work to do when it comes to running a farm, no matter how small.  The farmer and his wife and their son and daughter in-law worked diligently every day as to make sure the crops were growing well and they took such good care of their little farm that there was usually more than enough food to go around.  On more than one occasion did they help others in need who did not plan the seasons as well and take good care of their land.  Paul and his family would give food to the needy and shelter to the homeless passing by whenever in need, regardless of how much or how little they had each year.

Everyone knew of Paul's family and the good deeds he had performed with an open heart, but no one ever seemed to return the favor for him when bad luck would destroy his crops or the rainy seasons would flood his house.  Regardless, this did not bother Paul and his family was always cheery and positive in the bad times because they were always so happy just to be together.

This last rainy season had completely wiped out everything the farmer's family owned.  Every crop they had worked so hard to plant this year had been ripped from the ground and washed away, with only a few grains and seeds remaining where the healthy crops had once laid.  "No matter, the gods will provide and we will live happily as always" Paul said to his wife as he bent down to pick up a few seeds from the ground and placed them in the basket his wife was holding.  Nothing ever phased Paul, he had great faith in the gods and the beliefs of the Dharma.

But days turned in to weeks, and weeks turned in to months with very little to no food at all and after some time, the farmer and his happy little family began to whither and grow weak, nevertheless maintaining their happiness the whole while. A point came when their last days were near and their bodies looked like frail sheets of paper covering nothing but bone.  "We have just enough grain for us each to get a small handful" Paul said to his son and daughter in-law as he handed them their shares of grain from Anne's basket and they graciously took what they were given and sat at the table.

As suddenly as they all sat down with their food, a knock came at the door with a stranger standing there begging for food and a place to stay as the rains had damaged his farms too.  "We too have been hurt by the floods" Paul said while barely able to stand from his hunger, "but I would be more than honored to give you my food to help you with your struggle".  And with that, the polite stranger took the meager handful and stuffed it into his mouth.

"I could not bare to watch you starve while the rest of us eat" Anne said to her loving husband and gave the stranger her food too, with the son and his wife following her lead.  "I thank you all for your kindness" the stranger humbly spoke to the family with a soft voice. "Your acts of kindness have truly moved me and I think you are more deserving of a better life, so I shall reveal my true nature to you" and with that, the stranger turned in to the god Dharma and brought Paul and his happy little family up to heaven with him, where they never worried about starving and were able to be together for all eternity.

Symbol of Dharma

Wikimedia

Author's note: I took the idea for this story from the tale told in the Mongoose short story of the Mahabharata where the mongoose tells of a tale about a farmer and his family that were so starving they were near death when a stranger in need came by and they gave him all of their food anyways.  This story really moved me because I love hearing about the goodness humans can be capable of and this act of unselfishness moved me enough to write a story about them.  In this story, the family's back story is explained in more depth and the reason for the famine is explained as well.  I like the idea of this family being so loving and caring that they were well-known for their acts and I wanted it to be known that they performed these acts of kindness even for those who never returned the favor.

Bibliography: The Story of the Great War, by Annie Besant (1899)