Once there was an enterprising Farmer called Pahom, who inhabited a large land parcel in the Kazan area of Russia. He lived with his wife Reku and daughter Ja'ata in a small brick lined house in the center of his farmland. He used to grow wheat and sugarcane and had good income from his land. His neighbour Vlad was a very prosperous farmer with land more than hundred times the size what Pahom had. Vlad was famous in whole of Kazan for the superb wine parties he organized at harvest time. Pahom's wife Reku and daughter Ja'ata were also very friendly with Vlad's family. Pahom tried to be friendly with Vlad but was secretly jeolous of him.
Once Vlad bought a shiny new golden carriage. The carriage was driven by four horses. When Vlad moved in that carriage, he looked like a prince taking a round of his empire. Pahom asked Vlad, " where did you get the money to buy this beautiful carriage? " Vlad replied, " My land is like a hen that lays golden eggs. This large farmland is making me very prosperous. One day, I will be the richest person in Kahzan!" Overcome with jeolousy, Pahom promised to buy himself a land parcel as big as Vlad's. He became obsessed with the idea of owning more land. The only purpose of his life seemed to be to get more land, by hook or by crook.
One day, Pahom encountered a group of Bashkirs, a clan which wanted to sell their very fertile land and move to another part of Russia. The Bashkirs offered him a deal: for a fixed sum of money, he could walk and mark off as much land as he could in one day, and whatever land he marked would be his. Their only condition was that Pahom had to come back to the starting point before the sunset else his money would be forfeited.
The Bashkirs told him that they were simple people who just wanted to sell the land quickly and move. Hence the lucrative offer. Excited by the proposal, Pahom's heart filled with happiness. He came home and discussed the offer with Reku. Reku felt that finally her husband will get what he wanted and will be at peace. but she mentioned, " DO it, but don't be too greedy. Come back well before sunset. I and Ja'ata will come and cheer for you." Pahom takes up the challenge, hoping to acquire a vast amount of land. immediately, he sends his servant to the Bashkirs with the money and confirms the offer for the next day.
As Pahom lies down in his bed that night, sleep eludes him. He is very excited at the prospect of becoming rich and is planning the kind of carriage he will buy once he owns the land. Finally, just before dawn, he falls asleep. In his dream, he sees the DEVIL. Devil tells him that he will die if he goes for this challenge. Smug, Pahom laughs him off. "Are you jealous of my wealth? Pahom, asks the devil just as he opens his eyes.
Pahom gets up and wakes up Reku and Ja'ata. Together, the family and Pahom's loyal servant set off for the Bashkir's land. They are received warmly by the Bashkir's. Pahom starts the walk and keeps marking the land he walks on with a spade. As he sets off marking his territory, his greed drives him to go further and further, even though he begins to feel the strain. He hears Reku and Ja'ata shouting behind him asking him to turn back. With the sunset approaching, he realizes he has gone too far from the starting point and begins running back desperately. However, he is short of breath and has to stop for rest. The sun is beginning to start its journey towards the horizon. Pahom panics, and starts sprinting towards the starting point. Reku and Ja'ata are cheering him on and that gives him some strength. He pushes himself more and more even though his heart is beating very hard now. Ultimately, he reaches the starting point just as the sun is disappearing. He hears the loud cheers from everyone around but collapses from exhaustion. As Renu and Ja'ata run towards him, Pahom closes his eyes and sees the Devil's smiling face flash before him. And than he dies.
As the loyal servant is digging his grave in the newly acquired lands, he comments that ultimately what Pahom needed was six feet of land for his grave!
THE END
Discussion Points
This timeless classic by Leo Tolstoy opens up a discussion on how much is 'Enough'. Tolstoy leads his readers to evaluate the morality and the wisdom of their own materialistist needs, ambitions and aspirations.
The story brings out the fundamental emotion greed.. It stems from some incompleteness which we feel in our being and we try to fill that will external objects.Rise of greed and fear in human is natural but we also need to understand what is the right cause for this greed
3. Nature has created greed to show us what is lying deep within us. When one dettaches from the mind and observe the rise of greed in ones consciousness, we should go deeper into the reason.. In the given story, it is the Golden Chariot bought by his neighbour which prompts very big greed in the person. Pahom feels inferior and less accomplished.Many a times, it is societal norm of success which drives our greed.
4. Greed is something which blinds us and we loose our rationality . Had Pahom been rational, he could have accumulated good amount of land and came back home. But with greed, all the logic and reasoning goes out of the window. So it is essential that one should be witness to the rising of the greed within himself and it should be discarded as soon as possible . Once the greed takes over you, any kind of logical reasoning stops working!
With periodic AtmaChintan, we can be aware of the greed which has taken over us and try to get over it.
5. The servant highlights the irony of Pahom's relentless pursuit of land and its ultimate futility . Evenually, all Pahom really needed was six feet of land! The story serves as a moral tale, criticizing the insatiable desire for material possessions and the potential ruin it can bring upon oneself.
6. The emotions that motivate Pahom's materialism are common in varying degrees to all human beings and, therefore, we believe all readers can relate personally to the story. How much is really enough? There is no one correct answer that we are aware off. We only know that no amount of wealth is worth dying for.
STORY CREDIT:"How Much Land Does a Man Require?" is an 1886 short story by Leo Tolstoy about a man who, in his lust for land, forfeits everything. Famous author James Joyce once wrote to his daughter that it is "the greatest story that the literature of the world knows"
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