When Destiny Speaks in Dreams, but Karma Tests in Reality

(An inspirational tale of an old herdsman from a distant past)

Many years ago, in a mountain village surrounded by rivers, ridges, and thorny hills,
there lived an old herdsman.
He was not a man of letters,
yet he read the alphabets of life
in the eyes of his cattle,
in the flow of the river,
and in the silent wisdom of nature.

His cowshed stood on a terraced field near the river — 
where the morning breeze clung to the grass
and the night’s darkness rested quietly on the thatched roof.
He rolled tobacco in leaves,
took slow thoughtful puffs,
and spent his days caring for calves and buffaloes.

🌙 One Night — A Dream Spoke to Him

That night, he fell into a deep sleep.
Suddenly, two voices echoed in his dream.

The first voice said,
“Across the river, at the edge of the field, lies a rare black Gujjargano.
Bathe at dawn and bring it home.”

The second voice followed,
“In your in‑laws’ village, beneath the field below the house,
a treasure lies buried.
Go in the afternoon and retrieve it.”

The dream was so vivid
it felt as if someone had held his hand
and shown him the path.

But when morning came,
the dream slipped away.
Daily chores in the cowshed
buried the memory beneath routine.

🌤️ The Dream Returns

Later that day, as he prepared to cross the river
to gather wild herbs for the calves,
a swirl of tobacco smoke rose before him — 
and suddenly the dream flashed back.

He chuckled to himself,
“I was supposed to go at dawn!”

But the place wasn’t far.
“Let me at least take a look,”
he thought, and walked toward the spot.

🌈 A Scene Straight Out of the Dream

There it was — 
exactly as he had seen in his sleep.

A thick, half‑meter‑long black Gujjargano,
as dark as a moonless night,
lay rooted at the edge of the field.

He froze.
“So the dream wasn’t a lie after all.”

But when he tried to dig it out,
a strange thing happened — 
a seven‑colored halo, like a rainbow,
glimmered around the plant.

Such a sight belonged to folklore,
not to ordinary herbs.

As he dug deeper,
the root twisted and turned
like a serpent ready to strike.
Wherever he placed his hand,
the root shifted as if to bite.

Finally, gathering courage,
he cut the thick root with his khukuri.
A wet, taro‑like lump — 
three to four kilos — 
slid out from the soil.

He wrapped it in his waistcloth
and carried it back to the cowshed.

🏞️ The Second Sign — The Buried Treasure

Now the second dream refused to leave him.
It tugged at his thoughts all night.

The next day, he set out for his in‑laws’ village.
He walked straight to the field below the house.

There — 
embedded in the soil — 
were seven copper pot‑mouths,
half‑exposed, glinting in the sunlight.

His heartbeat quickened.
“This dream is true as well!”

But as he stepped closer,
a harsh, unseen voice thundered:

“Touch it, and your fate will be swallowed!
You come on a day neither called nor blessed — 
how dare you lay hands here?”

He trembled.
The pots were right before his eyes,
yet every time he reached out,
the invisible warning held him back.

He returned to the house
and told the family everything.
Villagers came with him to see — 
but the field showed nothing.
No pots.
No trace.
Only ordinary soil.

🌱 The Final Journey of the Gujjargano

The black Gujjargano, however,
proved to be a powerful medicine.
Old wounds healed,
fresh cuts closed instantly.

Word spread across villages — 
“The old herdsman has found a rare herb!”

People from far away came.
“We will sell it and bring you the money,”
they said,
and took the herb with them.

But they never returned.

🌟 The Lesson of the Tale

Even today, villagers say:

“Dreams are not just visions.
If the heart is willing to listen,
dreams can show the path of life.”

But they also whisper:

“Those who chase wealth, miracles,
and shortcuts to fortune
lose not only the dream — 
they lose the voice that guides it.”

The old herdsman never found treasure,
but life gifted him a deeper truth:

“A dream may be true,
but only a prepared heart
can hold the truth it brings.”

When Destiny Speaks in Dreams, but Karma Tests in Reality was originally published in Coinmonks on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.