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Such ambitious thoughts as 'objects like riches and wife belong to me' lead a man to numerous troubles. To do away with this feeling of attachment for worldly objects from heart is abstention or contentment. To be too greedy is disastrous. The soul becomes impure due to greed.
Once a Seth (a wealthy man) had been pondering for long that he would feed a Brahman at his home, if he could find one who ate a little food. Although the Seth was master of great property and was very wealthy, yet due to being extremely greedy and a miser of the meanest nature he went on searching for such a Brahman. As the Seth was known for harnessing such narrow ideas, the villagers knew very well that the Seth was greedy to the core of his heart.
One day the Seth chanced to come in contact with a village Brahman. During discourse the Seth asked him, "How much do you eat?" The Brahman replied about an oz. at a time." Hearing this the Seth instantly invited the Brahman to take meals at his home the next day. The Seth said to him, "O Brahman! Tomorrow I shall go out of station to make some bargains. Come to my house and take meals." The Brahman said, "Very well! May you be prosperous! We always eat your food." Going home the Seth gave this information to his wife the Sethani; and instructed her saying, "I have extended invitation for tomorrow's meals to a Brahman. As tomorrow I shall go out for business transactions, give the Brahman to eat whatever he demands." In fact, the Seth was fully convinced that the diet of the Brahman was only one oz., why will he ask for more then?
The next day the Seth went away on his business tour. The Brahman came at his home in his absence and blessed the mistress of the house (Sethani). The lady was not greedy. She was a very generous, saintly, chaste and pious lady devoted to the Brahmans. She asked, "Well Panditji! Tell me, what are your requirements?" The Pandit said, "Five quintal wheat flour, one quintal butter, two quintal vegetables, one quintal sugar, five kg. Salt and two kg. Spices are my needs for home." The Sethani arranged everything according to the demands of holy Brahman. After all these food articles were dispatched to his home, the Brahman said to the Sethani, "Now hastily serve the food to me as my growing appetite is troubling me." The lady at once served the food and fed the Brahman to his fill. After taking food Panditji spoke, "O Gentle Lady! If I get one hundred guineas (gold coins) as my dinner gift, I shall bless you and return home." The lady willingly offered him one hundred guineas. Then the Brahman blessed her and left for home.
On reaching home, the Brahman lay down in bed covering him with a sheet of cloth. He instructed his wife that if the Seth comes here, start weeping and tell him, "Panditji is laid up with serious illness ever since he has returned after taking meals at your home. The worst thing is that there is no hope of his survival. God knows, what you have fed him?" In the evening when the whole day starved Seth came home from his business tour, he asked his wife, "Did the holy Brahman come here and take his food?" The Sethani said, "Yes, he did come and asked for some food stuff for his home, which I supplied to him. Later on he ate down all the five kg. Purees prepared for him and then taking one hundred
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