Illusion of Immortality

A long time ago, there was a man named Bhajuman. He was not very rich, but he was not poor either.He had received some wealth and property from his father. Relying on that property, he was living comfortably without doing any work. In this manner, 32 years of his life passed.One day, a thought suddenly crossed his mind. He began to think about getting sick and having to die. Thinking about this made him very sad.He said to himself, "I want to live for at least five to six hundred years, and that too without ever getting sick. A human's lifespan is so short!"He thought— could one live as long as they wanted by eating less and leading a simple life? He had heard about kings and princesses in old stories who lived for many years.Bhajuman had also heard the story of a powerful king named Vikram. That king possessed all the pleasures and palaces of the world. But he was always worried about one thing— that one day he would have to die.The king could not sleep all night. He would think all the time about how he could obtain the 'nectar of immortality'. He called his ministers and ordered them to search for that nectar.An old minister said, "Your Majesty, far across the ocean there is an 'Immortal Land'. Some sages live there who possess the medicine that prevents death."The king gave that minister a lot of wealth and a big ship, and sent him to fetch that medicine. But that minister never returned. It is said that he settled somewhere there in the mountains.After hearing all this, Bhajuman also decided to search for those sages. He too wanted to become immortal. He handed over his house to his relatives and headed towards the Himalayas.Even after wandering in the mountains and forests for many days, he did not meet anyone. One day, he met a hunter on the way and asked, "Do you know where the sages who make people immortal live?"The hunter laughed and said, "I don't know about that, but I have heard that a notorious robber lives around here." Bhajuman felt angry. He thought— it is useless to wander in the forest like this.After that, he went to a temple where that minister was worshiped as a deity. He prayed continuously for seven days. He begged the deity to show him the path to becoming immortal.On the night of the seventh day, the temple door suddenly opened and the deity appeared. The deity said, "Bhajuman, your wish is very selfish. Do you know how difficult it is to become a sage?"The deity further said, "A sage has to eat only wild fruits and tree barks. He has to give up all the pleasures of the world. You are lazy, you like to eat delicious food and take rest. You cannot bear this hardship.""But hearing your prayer, I will send you to another place. I will send you to the 'Immortal Land', where no one dies and people live forever."Saying this, the deity placed a small paper bird in Bhajuman's hand. He said, "Sit on its back, it will take you there."Bhajuman climbed onto the bird. The bird grew large and flew across the ocean. After many days of travel, they landed on an island. As soon as they landed, that paper bird folded itself and went into Bhajuman's pocket.Bhajuman looked around the place. The people and the city there were very beautiful. He decided to stay in a hotel there and started living as a citizen of that place.In that country, no one ever got sick and no one ever died. But there was a strange thing about it. The people there were agonizing to die!They had become exhausted from having to live forever. They desired to go to 'heaven', but to go to heaven, one had to die. The people there tried to consume poison so that they could die.But in that country, even poison worked as medicine. Upon consuming poison, they became even healthier! People were even ready to pay a lot of money to reduce their lifespan.Bhajuman, however, was surprised to see this. He was very happy. He thought— I will live for thousands of years and enjoy myself. He started a business there.But after some time, Bhajuman also started facing problems. He suffered losses in business, and had quarrels with his neighbors. He too began to feel fed up with that monotonous life.After three hundred years passed, Bhajuman remembered his old home and country. He thought— how difficult it is to live like this forever!He remembered the deity again and prayed to be returned home. Immediately, that paper bird came out of his pocket. The bird grew large and flew away with him.But a huge storm came on the way. The paper bird got soaked, tore apart, and fell into the ocean. Bhajuman also sank into the water. He began to scream in fear.Just then, a huge shark came to eat him. Trembling with fear, Bhajuman called out to the deity. He screamed loudly— "Save me!"Suddenly, Bhajuman's eyes opened. He was still in the temple! All those terrifying things were just a dream. He was completely drenched in sweat.Right at that moment, a bright light came and a messenger of the deity appeared. Handing over a book, the messenger said, "Bhajuman, the deity showed you the 'Immortal Land' in your dream."The messenger said, "You saw, didn't you, there is no happiness even in being immortal. When the shark came to eat you, you were afraid to die. This means your wish was not true.""Now you go to your home. Do good deeds and live with hard work. Do not be afraid of dying, because this is a natural law. A selfish wish never brings happiness."After that, Bhajuman returned to his home. He gave up his useless desires and started spending his life happily as a good man.