Some 2,558 B.C years ago, Lord Buddha clearly explained future world when interpreting the 16 dreams seen by King Pasenadi of Kosala, the titular head of a kingdom situated in eastern India.
King Pasenadi, was the son of King Maha Kosala. He was a just ruler respected by his subjects and was a Supporter of Lord Buddha. Being of the same age, they knew each other when both were quite young. The King was most respectful to the Buddha and used to seek His counsel on various issues both personal as well as on affairs of state. One night, the King had a series of 16 dreams and woke up in great fright as to what these dreams might portend. Amazingly, the King could remember the details of the 16 dreams after awakening.
The sixteen dreams of King Pasenadi Kosol and their Interpretations by the Buddha
1. Four black bulls came roaring, raising dust with great thunder from four main directions, with every intention to fight, to the royal courtyard. Spectators were eagerly waiting to see their fight
with jubilation clapping their hands. But, they only made a show of fighting by pawing and bellowing and finally left without fighting at all. The people were very sad that they couldn’t see a good bullfight.
“Dear King, this dream doesn’t have an effect on you or your people during your or my time. This indicates the changes in the weather and climate, because of wicked and unjust rulers who would come to power in the days of world’s decline. It wouldn’t rain on time. Farmers would go on gazing at the sky expecting rain for cultivation. Meanwhile, dark rainy clouds would come and cover the entire sky. Thunder and lightning would start. Farmers would get ready to plow; Others would take things inside the house which had been put outside to dry. But, the rain never happens as expected, because the clouds would go in another direction like the bulls in your dream. People who have been expecting rain go from sadness to misery.”
2. Tiny plants and shrubs burst from the soil. When they grew no more than few inches, they flowered and bore lot of large fruit.
|Dear King, in the far away future, when the world is going towards its end, the people who are born would be lustful and would have a shorter life span. They would marry very young. Kids would get pregnant and have babies.”
3. Cows suckling milk from their very own newborn calves.
“Dear King, This dream says that young people in the future would not care for their parents in their old age. Parents would have to work for their children as servants and earn their living.”
4. Some men replaced the strong adult bulls who were pulling
the first carts In a caravan with weak young calves. Since the young ones were too weak to haul the load they refused to pull the carts. So, the caravan was unmoving.
“Dear King, this dream says that future rulers overlook intellectuals and give higher positions like minister- ships, diplomatic positions and appointments to courts, to ill-bred, ignorant people and make a mess of their governing. Intellectuals, when called finally for help, would refuse assistance and the government would fall to ruins.”
5. I saw an extraordinary horse which had two mouths on either side of its head being fed on both sides at once. It was eating greedily.
“Dear King, when the world is nearing its end, the rulers that come to power are so irresponsible, they appoint greedy men to the high chair of law. These deceitful judges, blind to the truth and honesty, take bribes from both parties like the voracious horse with two mouths.”
6. Some people were holding a golden bowl which was worth
a fortune.They were begging an old fox to urinate in it, and the horrible beast did just that.
“Dear King, in the remote future, the corrupt rulers even though they are from nobility, mistrusting the sons of their nobles, give
priority to the lowest- born in the country; thus, reducing the noble heritage to rubble and lifting up the low-born. Unsurprisingly, the ruined nobles would give their daughters in marriage to this ill-bred new rich to survive; which is like the old fox’s urinating into the golden bowl.”
7. A man was plaiting a rope and putting the finished end at
his feet. An old hungry vixen, who was hiding under his bench was eating the finished rope as fast as the man was plaiting it without his knowledge.
“Dear King, in the far away future, women will be hungry for men, liquor, elaborate clothing and jewelry, and, diversion. They would neglect their homes,
8. At the palace gates, stood a big pitcher full to the brim. There were empty pitchers all around it. People came from all
the directions with containers full of water and poured them into the pitcher that was already full, not giving a single glance to the empty ones standing nearby. Water overflowed in vain and soaked into the earth. Yet, they came in thousands and poured water to the same vessel.
“Dear King, when the world is in decline, countries and their
rulers would become poor. These selfish rulers would become more demanding and will make the whole country toil solely for them neglecting their own work and empty barns. Everything that is harvested would fill only the royal storerooms in excess like the full pitcher and the rest of the country, the ordinary citizens, would be like the empty pitchers.”
9. There was a deep pool with slanting banks dense with lotus
flowers to which wild animals came from all directions to drink water. Surprisingly, the water in the middle of the pool was muddy while the edges, from where the wild beasts have got into the pool were crystal clear.
“Dear King, in the far away future, the rulers would become corrupted more and more; they would be violent and malicious; would rule the country according to their own desire and satisfaction. They would live
10. Rice was boiling in a pot without being properly cooked.
One part of the rice looked sopping wet, one
part looked hard and raw, and the other part looked perfectly cooked.
part looked hard and raw, and the other part looked perfectly cooked.
“Dear King, in the days to come, Nobles, Brahmans, merchants, ordinary citizens and even the farmers would follow the corrupted rulers. Ultimately, the sages and even the gods of the land would become
11. Sour buttermilk was traded for expensive
sandalwood worth a fortune in gold.
“Dear King,in the distant future, when my teachings are fading, there would be shameless, greedy Bhikkus who would preach my teachings abandoning
12. Dried gourds which usually float on water sank in the water.
“Dear King, during the days of unjust rulers in the distant future, the low-born would become nobles because the rulers would prefer them over
13. Huge rock boulders floated in the water like dried gourds
“Dear King, in the future, the learned words of nobles would be
laughed at and ignored. Those words won’t get to the bottom of the man’s heart. In the monk’s community too this happens as people tend to respect popular corrupted monks turning their backs on the intellectuals. The words of wisdom would drift away like the rock boulders in the dream.”
14. Tiny frogs, no bigger than miniature flowerets
were perusing huge snakes and devouring them.
“Dear King, when the world is coming to an end, the men would be so lustful that they would do
anything to keep their wives happy. Their intense passion would lead them to hand over their every valuable possession to the wives. The wives would become in charge of the houses. These abusing wives would make the husbands their slaves without any saying and would treat them as their servants like the tiny frogs eating up the huge snakes in the dream.”
15. A disgusting, vulgar village crow was being escorted
wherever it went by an entourage of mandarin ducks which had feathers with a golden sheen.
“In the remote future, there would be weak-willed cowardly rulers, who wouldn't know anything about proper governance. Fearing revolt,
they would promote their footmen, barbers, bath attendants to nobility ignoring the real nobles. Reduced to poverty, the real nobles would be left to eat their humble pie. Just like the mandarin ducks who escorted the vulgar crow in the dream.”
16. Goats chased wolves and ate them. At the sight of the
goats, wolves would run away and hide themselves in the wood, screaming with fear.
“When the world is declining, the low-born, who've gained nobility because of the coward rulers, would demand the estates and titles of
the true nobility. When the real nobles go to law for justice, they would be beaten and tortured and taken by the throat and would be thrown away with words of scorn. The terrified nobles would hand over their property to the lowly minions and hide themselves in fear like the wolves in the dream. Similarly, the corrupted evil monks would abuse and harass the modest virtuous monks who would flee from temples to the jungle.”
