THESTORYTELLINGMONK
Piggy Joys
Indra, the king of the gods in the Vedic pantheon, had a desire: to experience earthly delights again. And what could be more earthly than to live in the dirt… like a pig.
He came down to earth and incarnated as a hog. He grew up in a good neighborhood, fell in love with a sweet little piggy from a good family, and set up pigsty with her. Together, they raised a large litter of adorable pink piglets, trotting and rooting in the family sty.
Years passed, unnoticed by Indra who was completely engrossed in his little piggy joy.
“This has gone on long enough!” The gods were missing their king in heaven, and they were starting to be concerned.
“Shouldn’t we try to bring him back?”
A delegation came down to earth and surrounded our prosperous pig with heavenly light.
“Now, Lord Indra, it is time to put an end to this play. Kindly come back with us and resume your heavenly duties.”
The little pig stared blankly into the distance. Indra had been so engrossed in the joy of his little hog-life that he could not understand what was happening.
The gods’ voices grew urgent. “You are not a pig, you are our Lord, king of the gods. O Indra, wake up and remember!”
“That’s it. I am hallucinating. Must have over-exerted myself in the mudpit. I think I’ll go and have a lie down before dinner.”
And he turned to trot on home, back to his little sty.
Exasperated, one of the gods grabbed the hog by his curly tail, and lifted him up to his face.
“Look here, Lord. This has gone too far. YOU-ARE-NOT-A-PIG!”
“Oink oink oink” squealed the pig in terror, thrashing its trotters in the air. “This hallucination is rather brutal,” he thought.
The gods looked at each other. “We have no other choice, it seems.”
They ripped his carcass apart, and out came Lord Indra, laughing heartily.
“Oh my friends, you will never believe the strange dream I’ve had!”
How strange indeed to narrow our life to little earthly pleasures and renounce our infinite spiritual treasures!