Jambali the Wealth-Giver

This tale of five young travelers in search of wealth and wisdom explains our follies while seeking success.

The five young men gathered close around the fire.
The day-long trek across the arid high plains had left them weary
and discouraged.

Was this journey an act of otherwise sane men?

Certainly the elders could not be mistrusted. Their constant ramblings about the man called Jambali filled the air almost daily.
They said he was a man of immense wealth and wisdom.
A man who freely dispensed both to any who sought it.

Yet many had traveled to the eastern mountains in search of this man, and all had returned weeks later with nothing to show but callused feet.

Was it all just a wistful tale; a fantasy concocted to give the people
of their desperately poor village a reason to hope?
This was the question that plagued the five travelers as they bedded down for the night, their hearts full of hope and their heads full of doubt.

The sun rose to find only four travelers remaining; the fifth having let doubt win over.
His note by the ashes of the fire implored the four to push on,
but he had returned to the village, unable to pursue a journey that held no promise.

And so the four travelers hiked throughout the morning and reached the tree line of the eastern slopes by mid-day.
It was a welcome escape from the relentless heat of the desert sun.
They had not walked more than 100 yards beneath the shade of the trees, when they happened across an old woman.

They told the woman of their quest to find a man called Jambali,
and asked if she knew where to find him. She exclaimed that they were indeed fortunate, for he was a nomad and was camped for the day just over the next rise. She bid them caution however,
as he was not fond of unannounced strangers to his camp.

Thanking the old woman, they hastily made their way to the rise
and thereupon did devise a plan. One of them would ascend the rise to investigate the layout of the camp and then report back to the others.
In this way they could best decide upon a method of entering the camp.

They elected a scout, and he ascended the rise while the others
anxiously waited. After a short time the scout returned looking forlorn and discouraged. He announced to the others that he did not see the camp of a wealthy man, rather was it the camp of a pauper.
He spoke of a man dressed in rags and a tent of simple design.

And then this traveler did proclaim their journey a fool's adventure,
and he marched back into the desert with a heavy heart.

The remaining three travelers were not so easily dissuaded.
One was elected and he ascended the rise to scout the camp.
He shortly returned with a puzzling report. Not only was this man
without wealth, but he was also crazy.
He told of a man standing in front of his tent waving his arms wildly in the air, screaming obscenities at an unseen demon.

And as before, this traveler also proclaimed their journey a fool's adventure,and marched back into the desert… with a perplexed heart. The remaining two travelers had not come this far to give up so easily.

One of the pair ascended the rise, only to quickly return shaking with fear. He exclaimed that the man was indeed acting crazy, but not because of an unseen demon, rather because there was a tiger
crouched in the trees ready to devour the man.

This traveler hastily declared their journey a fool's adventure,
and hurried back into the desert… with a fearful heart.

The last traveler began his ascent.

He reached the top and peered into the camp. He too witnessed a tiger of great ferocity, but he put his fear aside and decided to help the man defeat the beast.

He quickly fashioned a makeshift spear using a dry branch
sharpened with his hunting knife. He ran down the hill and jumped
between the man and the snarling tiger. He readied his weapon and
was on the verge of thrusting it into the beast, when the man suddenly let out a shrill whistle and grabbed the spear
from the traveler's hands.

The tiger abruptly ceased its attack, then trotted over to stand next
to the man. Obviously, a cruel trick had been played upon the traveler.

Distraught over what had just transpired, the traveler demanded
an explanation. The man explained that the old woman had seen the four travelers approaching from the desert, and had warned him of their arrival.

He explained that his antics were designed to invite only the most
sturdy of heart into his camp.

The man went on to introduce himself as Jambali the Wealth-Giver.
He invited the traveler to sit beside him and tell of his journey.
The traveler did so, explaining that the trip had began with five,
of which he was the only one remaining.

He went on to tell Jambali about his people's belief that all who visited him would receive wealth and wisdom.

Jambali told the traveler that his people's belief was true, but that before wealth can be possessed, one must first have the wisdom to own it.

Jambali explained, "The first traveler gave up on the first night.
He did not want to work at acquiring wealth."

"The second traveler saw a poor man's camp.
He had not the vision to perceive wealth among ordinary things."

"The third traveler witnessed a crazy man.
He had not the vision to perceive wealth among non-ordinary things."

"The fourth traveler witnessed a man-eating tiger.
He was not ready for wealth because he had not the courage
to overcome fear."

Jambali watched as the traveler digested these words.
They were powerful words that sank deep into the traveler's heart.

Then, suddenly and without notice, the traveler rose to his feet
and thanked Jambali for these wealth-giving secrets.

He was overwhelmed with exhilaration at the wisdom he had just received, and could barely contain his desire to depart for the village with news of his good fortune on this journey. He quickly bade Jambali farewell and promised he would tell his people what he had learned.

And so, this traveler did declare the journey a success, and he trotted into the desert with a glad heart.

As the traveler disappeared from sight, Jambali strode into his tent
and filled a ruby-rimmed cup to overflowing with a dark, red wine.
He drank largely, allowing the warm liquid to both caress and exhilarate his senses. A drop escaped from the corner of his mouth and momentarily danced upon his chin, as if unsure of which direction to fall before relinquishing its hold to the ground below.

Jambali tossed the cup, gestured loudly to the barren desert
which had swallowed the travelers, and dispensed his last bit of wisdom, "The fifth traveler was ready to receive wealth and wisdom, and received only that which he sought, yet no riches filled his pockets because he did not ask for them."