Sovereign Hill Lookout Photos and a Short Story
Sovereign Hill is one of the most famous gold yielding mining of 1850s.Situated in the City of Ballarat and on Mount Pleasant, today it is a historic and cultural place.You step into Sovereign Hill and you will be transported back 150 years, Old Buildings, roads, Mine tunnels, gold refining factory etc. There are free and paid, guided mining tours.Carts being pulled by Horses. You can walk along the old, historic town at your pace, which is not a huge place and max should take about 2 to 3 hours. Then, there is Gold museum, where you can see the artefacts of famous gold nuggets found during the history of Sovereign Hill, various photographs of Europeans, the early settlers and also about the aboriginal people.
There is an interesting movie about the Aboriginal people and culture that is shown,once in every 20 mins or so.Then, there is the Gold shop and various items of Gold etc.Anyway, I was told by one of my Gold savvy friend who like to buy gold coins informed me that the price of the gold coin is more costly in the shop then at the Gold Bullion here at Melbourne. Anyway, I am not so much into the gold stuff but, I did buy a $5 gold – a bottle that has some transparent liquid, may be distilled water and and some thinnest gold flakes. Looks good and as a Sovenier.
The funny thing about this visit was that, I did not actually go to the Sovereign Hill or the Museum ( I was there 3 times before) because, I am on a different purpose attending a Spiritual Retreat at the Accommodation – Comfort Inn, which is right next to the Hill. We had fun in our own way, but managed to get some photos. Also, when I learnt that my son was going to visit this place again, as a part of his school exclusion, I did not bother much about visiting the hill.
I read this amazing information from one of the visitor information boards up there which says “In 1853, they have recovered 14 Kg Gold Nuggets For every 30 cms mined and 1 ton gold for claim of bare 24 feet deep mine”. So, where is all that Gold gone? . Reminds me of a verse from Bhagavad Gita 16th Chapter Verse 21 and a story narrated by HH Mahavishnu Gosvami Maharaj in Sydney .
tri-vidham narakasyedam dvaram nasanam atmanah
kamah krodhas tatha lobhas tasmad etat trayam tyajet
[There are three gates leading to this hell — lust, anger and greed. Every sane man should give these up, for they lead to the degradation of the soul.](BG 16.21)
Once Sri Narada muni was walking on the village road and there was one beggar, you know, with a begging bowl. I don’t know, have you seen in So Narada muni said: “What is this, show me your bowl”.
He showed the bowl, and it was just ordinary begging bowl.
“Why, why nobody is able to fill?” he said, “I don’t have anything, but do one thing. I know Kuvera, the treasurer of the demigod, and I’ll write a chit on him. You take my chit and he will fill up within no time.”So the beggar was very happy, you know. Narada muni took out his address of Kuvera, he had diary, you know, computer, you know, [Laughs], put-put-put, he took out the address, wrote a letter line that “I am sending you this beggar, please fill his begging bowl and oblige. Your Servant, Narada.”
So the beggar went running to heavenly planets and he was very happy that now the bowl will be full. So eventually he reached there and found out Kuvera, you know.
He said: “Kuveraji, I have introduction letter from Narada Muni for you.”
So he took the letter and said, “I am sending you, you please fill up the bowl.”
“Show me your bowl”, he showed his bowl.
“Alright, it is a play thing. Narada does not have any sense. Why should he write a letter for this. I can fill up within a second.”
So he called his servant and said: “You take this beggar and go and fill up the bowl.”
So the servant went running and said: “Come, come with me, I’ll fill it up within no time.”
To his surprise, half the treasury was empty and even then the bowl was not full. So he was doubting, “whether there is a hole inside or what, I don’t know. It is not getting full.” So somehow or other he could not understand. So, then he started pouring again, within no time the whole treasury was empty and the bowl was not full.
He said, “There must be something wrong.”
He went back running to Kuvera. He said, “Maharaj, you are completely poor now. Nearly you are beggar and even now this bowl is not full.”
He said, “What are you talking.”
“Yes, I have emptied the whole treasury, you don’t have anything now.”
“Oh!” he said, “Narada, is silly man. He did not see whether he has bowl or not or whether it has hole inside”.
So in the mean time Narada was passing though the heavenly planets.
He called, “Hey Narada. What did you do? This beggar … We are not able to fill up his bowl.”
Narada said: “I didn’t know. It looks like an ordinary begging bowl.”
So he called the beggar and said: “Show me your bowl.”
He showed like that.
He said, “No, no, show me the other way.”
So he just showed the other way. And it was not a begging bowl, it was human skull.
This human skull will never be satisfied even if the Kuvera’s treasury is poured into this. This is our greed. Please, we are all carrying that skull, and unlimited, insatiable desire is there. We have come to Australia , we have come here, we have gone to America kama , krodha and lobha. In a limited way, we are allowed to have, in a regulated way, but unregulated way, unlimitedly, if we run after these things then we are going to be destroyed completely.
And these are kaam, krodha and lobha, Lust, Anger and Greed please leave them for good. And this is the clear instruction of Bhagavad-gita. And of the three, greed is the most horrible thing, because as we see from the above story, a person who is greedy can never be satisfied or be happy inspite of having the whole world.
