What is real and how much of that was really accomplished?
A story from an Indian epic
One day, after having eaten a filling lunch, Janak Raja fell asleep and dreamed he was a beggar who had gone without food for several days. Extremely hungry and thirsty, he desperately approached an old lady who had nothing to spare but a stale piece of bread. Though this was a pitiful meal, Janak became so excited that he decided to take the bread near the river and eat it with some water.
He searched for a tree to shelter himself from the heat, and was just about to eat when he saw two bulls approaching. They were involved in a frenzied fight and were grappling with their horns and kicking up dust into the air. Within moments, Janak Raja realized that they were coming straight towards him. Afraid for his life, the poor king dropped the water and bread and attempted to run for safety. As the two bulls were just about to trample him, Janak Raja suddenly awoke in a sweat. Once again, he was in his quiet, serene palace, with a full stomach and servants fanning him. He was then confronted with the question of what was real? Was he a beggar, as in the nightmare, or a king, as his present situation dictated?
With this question, Janak Raja assembled all of his advisors. All attempted to give an explanation, but Janak Raja was not satisfied with any of their answers. At that time, the great sage Ashtavakra entered the court. Janak Raja then explained the situation of his dream and asked the sage which existence was real? Ashtavakra’s simple response impressed the whole assembly. He told Janak Raja, “When you tried to find out which existence was more real, did you consider that both are false? Your existence as a beggar was false and temporary, and so is your time as a king. When you go to Akshardham, you will know your time here as an eighty-year dream. At that time, you will wonder, what was the purpose of coming to earth, and how much of that was really accomplished?
Taken from : http://www.kakaji.org/edition.asp?id=56 and http://www.vmgo.com/yt/video/A7sGMav8uqc/The-Story-of-King-Janak-and-Ashtavakra.html