Monday Motivation for Success from Siva (64): Disrespect determines doom, while respect reaps rewards.

Hi,
The old adage says, "Give respect and take respect." Irrespective of who the other persons are and who you are, it is important to first give respect to others. When you give it, you don't have to ask for it. You get it back naturally. But, thinking of oneself being in positions of higher status whatsoever it is, if one demands respect from others as a right, it would only lead to disappointment. And in the process, if others are disrespected, it could lead to disastrous results. Let us look at this story from Srimad Bhagavatam to reinforce our thought process in this fundamental aspect that we got to deal and live with in our day-to-day life.
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Disrespect determines doom, while respect reaps rewards.

(Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Sagara )

In treta yuga, there was a king by name Sagara who was well trained in vedas as well as in the use of weapons and war. Sagara married Keshini and Sumati, but was childless. Upon performing penances to Shiva, Sagara had 60,000 sons by Sumati and a son named Asmanjas from Keshini. All the sons were born strong, cruel, and violent and were capable of flying at will. Asmanjas was so violent as a child that he would mercilessly choke or drown other children who bullied him and would take pleasure in those cruel acts. However, Asmanjas's son, Amshuman, was a stark contrast and was a very kind hearted person.

Once, the king Sagara performed a horse sacrifice (Ashwamedha yajna) to prove his supremacy over other kings. Lord Indra, the leader of the demigods, became fearful over the results of that yajna and decided to spoil it. He stole the horse and left it at the ashram of the great sage Kapila. The king sent out his sons to search for the horse and bring it back. They searched for it for several days and found it at the ashram of the the sage Kapila. They thought that he was the one who had stolen it, became angry, and scorned at him, "Now we know where the horse thief lives. Kill him, kill the sinner.' The sixty thousand sons of Sagara thus raised their weapons and approached him. They, being so much powerful in their numbers and strength, disrespected him with their words and behaviour. They humiliated the maharishi Kapila, who was actually in a deep meditation at that time. When he opened his eyes and looked at them with anger, all of them were burnt to ashes with the ascetic power of the maharishi.

As the sons did not return home even after several days, the king sent his grandson Amshuman in search of them and the horse. Anshuman also ultimately reached Kapila's ashram and found the horse there. Unlike his father and uncles, he was not arrogant. He folded his hands with utmost respect for the learned rishi, prayed to him, and requested him for the horse. The rishi was so happy with the conduct and character of Anshumaan, he not only returned the horse but also told him the means by which his father and uncles who were earlier burnt to ashes could be brought back to life. 

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Respect is something that can not be demanded. It has to be deserved. When you deserve it, you get it. But, at the same time, who does not deserve respect? Everyone deserves it. So, it is important for us to respect others FIRST, irrespective of who they are. We ought to respect everyone - be it a supervisor or a subordinate, a prince or a pauper, an younger or an older one, a learned or an illiterate person, a parent or an offspring, a doctor or a nurse, a professor or a pupil, a farmer or a farm worker, a minister or a monger, or anyone for that matter. The more you give respect to others the more you get it.

To your continued SUCCESS,

With love,

Siva

PS: For "Monday Motivations" published earlier on this blog, please find them at the link given below:

http://value4value.blogspot.in/search/label/Monday%20Motivation