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he should realize what happens if that body really becomes gold. He would beat his head, if that ever happened. He would feel that the earlier body was better.
So Midas was in a great difficulty. He was attracted to gold by the talk of the poets. Now what? Everything became gold -- his wife, water, food! People began to run away from him. His own children started keeping a distance from him -- who knows when he may touch you! No friends would come near him. Midas became very lonely. He was a king, and he became lonely. His ministers would not come too close to him; they would keep a safe distance so they could run away if necessary. Midas started dying of hunger. He could not take any food, he could not take any water. He started shrieking and shouting, "Oh, God, take back your gift! I was better as I was before! This blessing has turned into a curse."
Midas was in such a state -- everything that he touched was turning into gold. Just imagine what our condition would be when whatever we touched turned into a lump of clay. The wife appears to be beautiful and golden when she is at a distance. The day the marriage takes place she begins turning into dust. Within four or five years she becomes as good as dirt. Everything turns into dirt.
The day you realize that all running is futile you come to a dead stop right where God is. The day you come to know that you have not gained anything by running, you do not run anymore. And because of not running, now you see what was not seen before because of running.
When the mind was engrossed in running, things that were far away were seen. When the running becomes useless, the eyes return to the nearer scene. And if the running ceases totally, the eyes start seeing in reverse. Up until now they were seeing only outside, now they begin to see inwards. The mirror performs an about-turn. Then you do not find anything worth seeing in the world, or worth getting and worth searching for in the world. Now the world does not remain a desire any more. That is why Buddha, Mahavira and the Upanishads have laid so much stress on the fact that desirelessness is the door.
Desire is a door to go out far away;
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