Monday Motivation From Scriptures (MMFS-20): Humility is heroic and courage is contagious

Hi,

It is ordinary human nature to look down upon with dislike and disrespect the people with lower levels of ability, conduct, and character. The rich scorn the poor; the beautiful, the plain; the strong, the weak; the brave, the timid, etc. But great souls and true heroes do not do that. They instead help others rise above their weakness.

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Humility is heroic and courage is contagious

During the year of exile, Pandavas lived in disguise in the kingdom of Matsya ruled by the King Virata. One day when the king and his entire army were out to defend one side of his kingdom, the Kauravas attacked it from another. There was no one left in the palace except his son prince Uttara who spoke boastfully in front of the ladies of the palace, “If only I can get someone who can be my charioteer (rathasaradhi), I will go and beat the enemy single-handed. I am as good as Arjuna.” 

Arjuna, who was living there in the disguise of a danseuse eunuch, Brihannala, agreed to become his charioteer, and rode the chariot quickly to the battlefield. As they approached the enemy, Uttara saw a great army of Kauravas and its huge strength, became fearful, jumped off the chariot and started walking back saying, “How can I fight this army single-handed? I have no troops. I cannot do it. I simply cannot.” Arjuna persuaded the running prince telling him, “Have no fear. Behave like a Kshatriya. I shall fight with the Kauravas. Help me by driving the chariot. Believe me, WE will rout the enemy. YOU will have the glory.” Arjuna then revealed himself to Uttara, fought with the army, and defeated them. After this experience, Uttar gained much courage.  

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That was Arjuna’s characteristic nobility. He never abused his strength and power. He did not ridicule Uttara for his bragging and boastful remarks, neither for his cowardice. He rather showed humility and put courage into Uttara. It is tempting to belittle the weak, humiliate the boastful, and hate the wrong. But succumbing to such a temptation is unworthy and unbecoming of a true hero. 

With love and regards,

Siva

Monday Motivation From Scriptures (MMFS-19): You have to ask for it.

Hi,

It is good to volunteer oneself and help others in need. But is it appropriate to expect others also to volunteer themselves when you are in need of help and not ask for it?  Perhaps not!! You have to ask for it, even if you richly deserve to get it. Otherwise, you may not get it. Let us look at this incident from the Mahabharata.

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You have to ask for it.

After Yudhishthira bid and lost Draupadi to Duryodhana In the game of dice, Duhssasana dragged her to the court. While he was attempting to undress her in the presence of all, the pandavas could not do anything as they were also already bid and lost to Duryodhana. Karna, being a man of virtues and righteousness, could not tolerate the sight of Duhssasana pulling the saree of Draupadi. He felt restless and very much disturbed. He wanted to stand up and stop the nonsense at once. And, he was capable of it. But he did not do it. Why? Not because he was a friend of Duryodhana. It was for another reason.


As Draupadi went around pleading for help, she looked at different people and asked for their intervention, she took the names of Bhishma, Dhritarashtra, Vidura, Drona, and many others but not that of Karna. Even when she came face to face with Karna, she turned her face quickly, ignored him, and looked at the person sitting next to him, and clearly avoided asking for the help of Karna.

Karna wished very much that she would ask him, and he would do everything to stop the humiliation being meted out to her. She did not ask for it and he could not extend it, though she deserved it and he was capable of giving it.

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How often we feel bad when others don't come forward on their own to help us when we are in need? The old adage says, “If you don’t ask, even your mother won’t feed you.” While we should be willing to offer and extend help to others, we must also be ready to take help from others, and therefore ask for it. Be it friends or family members or colleagues at workplace or vendors or even the customers in the market place, we have to ask for it. If you ask for it, you have a better chance of getting it. And asking for help is no wrong; just ask for it.

With love and regards,

Siva

Monday Motivation From Scriptures (MMFS-18): Who was the winner? Rama or Ravana or both?

Hi,

Failure becomes a loss only when one does not lean from it. If one could realise the mistakes and learn lessons from failures, it could actually result in a gain. Those who don't realise and repent for their mistakes, they tend to continue to make mistakes and end up in bigger losses.  

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Who was the winner? Rama or Ravana or both?

The legend suggests that when the war started between Rama and Ravana, Parvati Devi asked Lord Shiva, “Swamy, what do you think, Who will win this battle?" Shiva replied that both of them would be winners at the end of the war; Rama would get his wife; and Ravana the enlightenment.

The story of Ramayana goes that after shooting the fatal arrow on the battlefield of Lanka, Rama discarded his weapons, walked up to Ravana, and spoke in a gentle voice , "Lord of Lanka, you abducted my wife, a terrible crime for which I have been forced to punish you. Now, you are no more my enemy. I bow to you and request you to share your wisdom with me. Please do that for if you die without doing so, all your wisdom will be lost forever to the world.”

Ravana opened his eyes and said, “Let me tell you one important lesson I have learnt in my life. Things that are bad for you seduce you easily; you run towards them impatiently. But things that are actually good for you, fail to attract you; you shun them creatively, finding powerful excuses to justify your procrastination. That is why I was impatient to abduct Sita but avoided meeting you. This is the wisdom of my life, Rama.” With these last words, Ravana died.

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Albert Einstein once said, “Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new of worthwhile." Committing mistakes is no big crime. But some people think so, and they deny their mistakes. But not realising them perhaps is a bigger crime. Those who go through failure, but learn lessons from it will endure to gain strength and become winners sooner or later. 

With love and regards,

Siva

Monday Motivation From Scriptures (MMFS-17): When do children begin learning

Hi,

When do children begin learning? Before they go to school? Or only after they join a school? When is the right time to start grooming a child? Do we know what impacts a child’s development? Let us look at the story of Abhimanyu’s birth from the Mahabharata to take a cue on a child’s development process..

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When do children begin learning?

Abhimanyu was the son of Arjun and Subhadra, sister of Sri Krishna. He learnt his first lessons of war strategy and the secrets of a combat in a chakravyuha at the time when he was in his mother Sahara’s womb. Chakravyuha was an old-time war strategy in which the warriors surround the enemy in concentric circles in order to trap and kill him. 

When Abhimanyu was in his mother’s womb, he heard a conversation between his mother and Sri Krishna. Sri Krishna was narrating her about chakravyuha and the step-by-step process of tackling it. As she fell asleep, Sri Krishna stopped his narrative halfway, and Abhimanyu could obtain the technique of breaking only some of the circles in the chakravyuha, but not all. As he grew up, he became a brave, handsome, young warrior. Many years later during the Mahabharata war at Kurukshetra, the Kauravas set up a chakravyuha. Abhimanyu could valiantly fight and break several circles in the chakravyuha with the knowledge he gained from what he heard when he was in his mother’s womb.  He could tackle only those circles about which he heard when he was  in his mother’s womb.

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Recent scientific findings have also shown that babies can indeed hear from inside their mother. Children are the best observers and the keenest learners. It is important to know how the healthy mental growth of a child begins even before it is born, and it will continue to take its shape as the child takes birth and grows. The thoughts of a carrying mother, the love and care of the family shown towards her, and the whole ambience in a home will impact the child’s development.  Let it take the right shape and grow to be a right citizen.

 

With love and regards,

Siva