The Broken Pot
by Unknown · from Indian Fairy Tales
Adapted Version
Once upon a time, a man loved to dream. He liked to dream big. His name was Mr. Daydreamer. He liked to keep things. He kept many things. He got some rice. He had much rice.
He ate some rice. He put rice in a pot. The pot was big. He hung the pot up. It was over his bed. He liked his pot. He liked it much.
Mr. Daydreamer looked at the pot. He looked all night. He thought and thought. He started to think big. He had big plans. He thought about the rice. He thought about his future.
He thought, 'People will need food. A hard time will come. I will sell the rice then. I will get money. Much money! I will be rich.'
'I will buy goats. Goats will have babies. Many babies! I will buy cows. Cows will have babies too. I will buy horses. I will be rich! I will be very rich.'
'I will buy a big house. It will be very nice. It will be beautiful. I will marry a nice lady. She will bring gifts. Many gifts!'
'Then I will have a baby boy. He will be my son. My son will be good. He will be happy. He will always smile.'
He sees his son playing. His son runs to him. A horse is standing near. The horse is big. The boy is too close. He gets scared. He feels much fear.
He calls to his wife. He calls her name. 'Take the baby! Take him! Quickly, take him!' She does not hear him. She is busy working. She works very hard.
He gets very mad. He gets very angry. He feels much anger. He kicks his foot out. He kicks it hard. He kicks with force.
The pot breaks! The pot falls down. *CRASH!* Rice falls all over him. Much rice falls down. He is covered in rice. Mr. Daydreamer is white now. He looks very funny.
Mr. Daydreamer learned a lesson. He learned a big lesson. It is good to work now. Do not just dream. Do things today. Do not wait. Do not wait for tomorrow.
Original Story
The Broken Pot
here lived in a certain place a Brahman, whose name was Svabhavakripana, which means "a born miser." He had collected a quantity of rice by begging, and after having dined off it, he filled a pot with what was left over. He hung the pot on a peg on the wall, placed his couch beneath, and looking intently at it all the night, he thought, "Ah, that pot is indeed brimful of rice. Now, if there should be a famine, I should certainly make a hundred rupees by it. With this I shall buy a couple of goats. They will have young ones every six months, and thus I shall have a whole herd of goats. Then, with the goats, I shall buy cows. As soon as they have calved, I shall sell the calves. Then, with the calves, I shall buy buffaloes; with the buffaloes, mares. When the mares have foaled, I shall have plenty of horses; and when I sell them, plenty of gold. With that gold I shall get a house with four wings. And then a Brahman will come to my house, and will give me his beautiful daughter, with a large dowry. She will have a son, and I shall call him Somasarman.
When he is old enough to be danced on his father's knee, I shall sit with a book at the back of the stable, and while I am reading, the boy will see me, jump from his mother's lap, and run towards me to be danced on my knee. He will come too near the horse's hoof, and, full of anger, I shall call to my wife, 'Take the baby; take him!' But she, distracted by some domestic work, does not hear me. Then I get up, and give her such a kick with my foot." While he thought this, he gave a kick with his foot, and broke the pot. All the rice fell over him, and made him quite white. Therefore, I say, "He who makes foolish plans for the future will be white all over, like the father of Somasarman."
Story DNA
Moral
Making elaborate plans for the future without acting in the present can lead to self-destruction and loss.
Plot Summary
A miserly Brahman, Svabhavakripana, saves leftover rice in a pot and hangs it above his bed. He spends the night fantasizing about how he will sell the rice during a famine, use the money to buy animals, accumulate vast wealth, marry, and have a son. In his elaborate daydream, he becomes angry at his imaginary wife for not heeding his warning about their son, and in a fit of rage, he kicks out his foot. This action breaks the actual pot, spilling all the rice over him, thus destroying his only real possession and illustrating the folly of making grand plans without present action.
Themes
Emotional Arc
anticipation to sudden realization
Writing Style
Narrative Elements
Cultural Context
This story is part of the Panchatantra, an ancient Indian collection of interlinked animal fables in Sanskrit verse and prose, arranged within a frame story. It's a classic example of a cautionary tale from this tradition.
Plot Beats (12)
- A miserly Brahman named Svabhavakripana collects rice by begging.
- After eating, he fills a pot with leftover rice and hangs it above his couch.
- He lies awake, intently watching the pot and begins to fantasize about its future value.
- He imagines selling the rice during a famine for a hundred rupees.
- He plans to use the money to buy goats, then cows, then buffaloes, then mares, accumulating great wealth.
- He envisions buying a grand house and marrying a Brahman's daughter with a large dowry.
- He imagines having a son named Somasarman.
- He pictures himself reading while his son, Somasarman, runs towards him, too close to a horse's hoof.
- He calls to his wife to take the baby, but she is distracted and doesn't hear him.
- In his imagined anger, he kicks out his foot to hit his imaginary wife.
- The kick breaks the actual pot of rice, spilling it all over him.
- The narrator concludes with a moral about the folly of making foolish future plans.
Characters
Svabhavakripana (The Brahman)
A lean man of average height, with a somewhat gaunt build due to his miserly habits. His skin is likely tanned from exposure, typical of a mendicant Brahman in ancient India. He has a generally unkempt appearance, reflecting his focus on accumulation rather than personal grooming.
Attire: Simple, worn, off-white or cream-colored dhoti wrapped around his waist and legs, possibly with a thin, plain cotton uttariya (upper cloth) draped over his shoulders. The fabric would be coarse and well-used, showing signs of mendicancy rather than wealth.
Wants: To accumulate wealth and possessions, driven by a deep-seated miserliness and a desire for a comfortable, respected future, even if only in his mind.
Flaw: His excessive fantasizing and detachment from reality, leading to impulsive actions and a complete lack of self-awareness.
He experiences no real change, only a momentary, self-inflicted downfall from his own fantasy, ending up covered in rice, symbolizing the futility of his ungrounded plans.
Miserly, avaricious, imaginative (in his fantasies), prone to anger, detached from reality.
Locations
Brahman's Humble Dwelling
A simple, sparsely furnished room, likely a single chamber, characteristic of a mendicant Brahman's abode in ancient India. The walls are plain, possibly mud-plastered or whitewashed, with a single peg for hanging items. The floor is likely packed earth or a simple mat.
Mood: Sparse, quiet, contemplative, but also filled with the Brahman's vivid, imagined future.
The Brahman dreams of his future wealth and family, culminating in him accidentally breaking the pot of rice.