54. The Dream Puzzle!

The other day someone in office called for a meeting with an agenda which didn't have anything to do with me, nor my work. I, however, make it a point to attend all such meetings where I neither have to give status updates, nor have the fear of being stuck with an action item.

In the middle of the meeting, I found myself asleep! Slowly the voices in the meeting room started to fade away and an orchestra took over. (Yeah, I have hired an orchestra to play in my dreams.) So, here I was, in the midst of a meeting, enjoying a blissful dream.

In the dream, I was passing by a garden where I overheard a young boy and his nanny, who were having a good time under a cocoa tree. The boy asked his nanny to tell him a story and this is what she narrated*:

"Once upon a time in a city which did not exist, there were three princes who were brave and happy. Of them two were unborn and the third was not conceived. Unfortunately all their relatives died. The princes left their native city to go elsewhere. Very soon they fell into a swoon unable to bear the heat of the sun. Their feet were burnt by hot sand. The tips of grass pierced them. They reached the shade of three trees, of which two did not exist and the third was not even planted. After resting there for some time and eating the fruits of those trees, they proceeded further.

"They reached the banks of three rivers; of them two were dry and in the third there was no water. The princes had a refreshing bath and quenched their thirst in them. They then reached a huge city which was about to be built. Entering it, they found three palaces of exceeding beauty. Of them two had not been built at all, and the third had no walls. They entered the palaces and found three golden plates; two of them had been broken into two and the third had been pulverised. They took hold of the one which had been pulverised. They took ninety-nine minus one hundred grams of rice and cooked it. They then invited three holy men to be their guests; of them two had no body and the third had no mouth. After these holy men had eaten the food, the three princes partook of the rest of the food cooked. They were greatly pleased. Thus they lived in that city for a long long time in peace and joy. My child, this is an extremely beautiful legend; pray remember this always, and you will grow up into a learned man."

It really was a funny story, and considering that it was told by someone who had crossed 60, I dismissed it completely from my mind and moved on in my seemingly endless dream.

A few feet ahead, I happened to notice something glittery. So I went closer to investigate further. To my utter delight, I could make out that it was a diamond! A very big one at that! It however had fallen in a small cavity near the road side. With no other means but my bare hands to take it out, I inserted my right hand and got hold of the diamond. The neck of the hole seemed to be too small for me to take my fist out with the diamond clasped in it!

Now here I am, one hand stuck in a cavity† making me unable to come out of my dream, while my colleagues, unaware of my fate, debating amongst themselves in the meeting room!

How shall I come out of my dream and get on with the meeting?
Can you help?

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*The nanny's story has been taken from the book Vasistha's Yoga, translated/expounded by Swami Venkatesananda, unabridged version, Page 122-123.

†This is how you can catch a monkey alive. Better watch the movie Animals Are Beautiful People, and see for yourself. It's a 1974 documentary on the wildlife of the Namib Desert, directed and written by Jamie Uys, who is more famous for the movie: The Gods Must Be Crazy.