In plain words
But time is full of many changes. Hardship and happiness are the two pots of a carrying pole. Who can foresee what will happen at what minute? While he was rich, he gave 20 kāsus of gold to a goldsmith and had an idol of Kṛṣṇa made. Then with 20 kāsus he had a cow made for Kṛṣṇa. Again he gave 20 kāsus, had a peacock made and set it beside Kṛṣṇa. To perform the abhiṣeka he had a gold cup of 20 kāsus made. Every day, with that cup, the abhiṣeka to Kṛṣṇa, the drinking of the holy water, the delight in it: so it went on. But time never stays the same. There is no telling when the ups and downs will come. As it is said, ‘Kṣīṇe puṇye martyalokaṃ viśanti’, all the merit he had gained ran out. This rich man's state went on sinking lower. In the end even getting through the day became hard. No longer able to bear it, he took this idol to another rich man. He tried to sell it to him and get money. First of all he weighed the cup used for the abhiṣeka. This is 20 kāsus. 60,000 rupees. Then he weighed the peacock. This is 60,000 rupees. He weighed the cow. This is 60,000 rupees. Then he weighed Kṛṣṇa and said, ‘This is 60,000 rupees.’ ‘What! The cow, the peacock, the cup and Kṛṣṇa, all at one price? I cannot bear it. You must give a higher price for Kṛṣṇa,’ he said. The man said, ‘For you the form of Kṛṣṇa, the form of the peacock and the form of the cup are each different. But for me the gold in them is what counts, and to that I give the value,’ he said. He gave value to the weight of gold, but gave no value to the form. In the same way, value belongs only to the humanness within the many different forms. It is the supreme principle of the five elements present in all that they called Advaita. In every man there is no other element over and above these five elements. There is no sixth element at all. But we imagine there is something more, and make efforts of many kinds for it.