Hi,
We experience and express many different kinds of
emotions - anger, anguish, empathy, joy, love, hatred, fear, disgust,
happiness, etc. What happens when one has no control on emotions and falls prey
for them? Is it possible to experience the joy of emotions but still be able to
possess control over them? The story of sage Durvasa and his encounter with the
king Ambareesha reveals it.
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Emotional derailment is destructive
Ambareesha was a great Indian
king who ruled with Ayodhya as his capital. He was also a great devotee
of Lord Vishnu. He treated his service to people as his worship to Lord
Vishnu. Lord Vishnu was so pleased with his devotion and righteousness that he
blessed him with the powerful Sudarshana Chakra.
Once, Ambareesha performed
the Dvadasi Vratam, which required that the king to perform various
rituals of devotion for an year ending with a fast on the day of Ekadasi
in Kartika masam (incidentally today the 03 Nov 14 happens
to be the same auspicious day of kartika ekadasi) and break it at the start of Dvadasi and feed all the people.
As the moment of breaking the fast was drawing near, the great
sage Durvasa came to the court of king Ambareesha, who promptly
received him with all the honors and requested to be his guest. The saint
agreed, but asked the king to wait until he finished his bath in the river and
returned. As the auspicious moment approached when the king had to break his
fast to fulfill the vow of the vratam, the sage Durvasa did not yet
return. When he was in a dilemma whether to wait for the sage or break the
fast, sage Vasishta advised him to break his fast by taking
a tulasi leaf with water so as not to miss the auspicious moment. He
ate the tulasi leaf, and waited for the arrival of sage Durvasa to offer him
food.
On his return, Durvasa, who was
known for his ego and short temper, came to know about it and felt that
the king had insulted him by eating without waiting for him. Though the king
very humbly asked for forgiveness, Durvasa could not control his anger as
his emotions of insult overtook him. Using his great powers, he created a
demon and ordered him to kill the king. The king Ambareesha, without
feeling perturbed, prayed to Lord Vishnu. Soon the Sudarshana chakra
intervened, destroyed first the demon, and then started chasing the sage, who
went running to all the worlds to save himself, but the chakra chased him
wherever he went. Finally, he went to Lord Vishnu, who advised that the only
way to escape from the chakra was to go back to the king and seek his pardon. The
sage, realizing his blunder, rushed to the king and fell at his feet.
Ambareesha was so kind and humble that he received and treated the sage with
utmost respect, love, and care without any feelings of revenge.
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Look at Durvasa! He was a Brahmarshi, a great sage who
acquired enormous powers with several years of prayers and strict penance, but
lost them in a split second as he did not have control on his emotions – his
anger, his feelings of insult. His powers were destroyed for a lost cause as he
could not forgive. Look at Ambareesha! He was beautiful as he was serene,
calm, composed, forgiving, and respectful with no feelings of revenge or hatred
against Durvasa. Emotions are a natural part of human system. But the point is
whether we are in the grip of our emotions or we have mastered our moods and
gained control over our emotions. Emotional intelligence is a skill that
can be acquired, through conscious efforts for peace, success, and happiness –
at home and office.
Siva
value4value@gmail.com
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