3.

The Forecast of Coming Events

(A Lady and a Photographer)
A lady went to a first class photographer to have her picture taken. The operator
put his camera in good order, using a highly sensitized plate. When he examined the
negative, he found on the lady's face indications of small' pox. He was astonished.
What does this mean? Her face is clean, but there are unmistakable signs of that
dreaded disease. After repeated attempts to secure a picture of the lady without
indications of small-pox on the face, he gave up in disgust, and asked the lady to
call some other day when conditions were better; he would succeed in taking a good
photograph of her. The lady went home and after a few hours she got small-pox. What
was the cause? She afterwards recalled having received a letter from her sister who
was down with the small-pox, and she had wetted the envelope with her lips and
closed it with her fingers. When the lady opened the letter, she became infected
with the disease, and in due time became ill. The camera detected it by the refined

Parables of Rama
30
materials used by the photographer, although the naked eye was deceived and could
not see the small-pox already at work in the skin.
We, so are desires: in fact the small-pox marks seen in the camera, which have not
made their appearance on the face. Desires are in fact a guarantee of their
fulfillment. Desires are simply the index of the events which are sure to come to
pass.
MORAL: Desires forecast the coming events.