A stranger eyed the money of a wealthy pilgrim who travelled alone. He slowly gained confidence of the pilgrim and schemed to rob him of his money. The pilgrim everyday counted the money and put it in his pocket. He did not carry a box to safeguard his money. The stranger then slowly tried his luck in robbing the money. However he was unable to find it. Successive attempts night after night by searching under the pillow, bed and the belongings of the pilgrim proved futile. Yet at dawn he saw the pilgrim counting his money.

Fear gripped the stranger and he thought that the pilgrim to be a Yogi or a magician. Frightened that his intentions would be figured out, the stranger came forward and confessed to the pilgrim of his intentions. He further enquired as to where he left the money in the nights. The pilgrim laughed on hearing the stranger and said that he was aware of his intentions to steal the money and hence he left it under the stranger's pillow itself every night!. The pilgrim said that while he searched for the money everywhere he was not aware of the fact that it was under his own pillow!



The pilgrim is the personification of God, the stranger is the wayward mind, the treasure is the bliss of the atman. Man's wayward mind hunts for everlasting happiness in sensory objects. Exhausted, it surrenders to God, dropping its evil intentions on not finding it. God takes pity and points out that the atman is within oneself and the happiness that one is hunting for is within himself. The vagabond mind then abides in the blissful state of the self never to swerve.