Can India take the challenge?

[sravna]

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Dear Renuka,

I think the intention of the story is to drive home the truth that everything acts only according to its nature and there is no point blaming it for that. It is we who should be wise in understanding that. If the story were like as you suggest, the above moral could not have been brought out.

 

[prasad1]

LOL! When I read this story before I thought the same thing..I was thinking that "This story should be modified cos this story will make people foolish enough to get repeatedly stung by a scorpion..why couldn't the Sadhu pick up the scorpion with some twigs and place it far away from the water so that the scorpion does not fall in over and over again and the Sadhu does no get bitten again and again"

There is another story where some woman was sitting near the fire place and her husband was sleeping with his head on her lap and at that time their child crawled and was about to fall into the fire.
The woman did not want to disturb the husband's sleep and she did not try to save the child and owing to her supreme act of Pati Vrata the fire turned cool like sandal paste for the child and did not burn the child.

I was thinking "Give me a break try telling this to fire department!"

The scorpion and sadhu story is a simile, not be taken literally.
Then again when you are in fast flowing river, and your passion is in saving the scorpion, you are not looking for tools to save your hand.

I know of firemen who run into burning building without considering their personal safety to save a life.
Where as mere mortal would run the other way. Depending on the passon the risk and rewards are different.

 

[renuka]

The scorpion and sadhu story is a simile, not be taken literally.
Then again when you are in fast flowing river, and your passion is in saving the scorpion, you are not looking for tools to save your hand.

I know of firemen who run into burning building without considering their personal safety to save a life.
Where as mere mortal would run the other way. Depending on the passon the risk and rewards are different.

Dear Prasad ji,

The fireman has done his duty selflessly..just like a captain that goes down with his ship or like a doctor who treats a patient with contagious disease knowing very well that then risk of contracting the disease is very high.

I remember once I was a trainee and was taking blood from a HIV positive patient who was having high fever and a delirium..after taking the blood sample he moved a bit violently and the tube of the blood fell from my hand and fell down on the floor and the cover opened and the blood splashed all over the pants I was wearing.

The family members of the patient who saw that jumped from their seats and ran away.

There were so scared of the HIV positive blood.

I was thinking "Wow..what a family!"

 

[sangom]

There is another story with a moral; may be we can therefore call it a parable. Source not known to me.

There was once a Guru and he had a very devoted Sishya who held his Guru in the highest regard. The Guru often used to tell that all that we see is a manifestation of the One Absolute. One day while the Sishya was walking through the main road, he saw one elephant madly running towards his direction; the mahout was crying aloud "Go away, the elephant is mad!" continuously. But the Sishya thought of his Guru's oft-repeated advice about everything is the One Brahman and felt that since the mad elephant is the very same Brahman as himself, the elephant-brahman will not be able to harm himself, the same Brahman. So he continued walking, got mowed down by the speeding elephant and came weeping to his Guru and complained that the Guru's upadesa had been wrong.

After hearing the entire episode, the Guru said to the Sishya; you see the mahout also is Brhman just like yourself and the animal and the Sishya should have taken into account the warning given by the mahout-brahman.

The moral of this parable is that high-sounding philosophical speculations will not be able to help any ordinary person to live his ordinary, day-to-day life and, for this, one will have to have earthy wisdom.

 

[renuka]

Dear Renuka,

I think the intention of the story is to drive home the truth that everything acts only according to its nature and there is no point blaming it for that. It is we who should be wise in understanding that. If the story were like as you suggest, the above moral could not have been brought out.

Dear Sravna,

I get what you mean but some of the stories need to be modified to fit the present generation.
For example today my mum was reading out from the newspaper about some recent study showed that playing violent video games and watching violent movies increase violence in children and teens.

So my mum told my son that he should not play any video game that has killing in it and neither should he watch any movie with violence.

My son replied her "Ok in that case are next time I would not be able to see any serial on Mahabharat or Ramayan too cos its all non stop killing and fighting"

My mum said to him that Mahabharat and Ramayan shows good over evil and can not be compared to movies but my son said "yes ..but still violence is portrayed"

So I guess he had a point there.

 

[renuka]

Dear Renuka,

I think the intention of the story is to drive home the truth that everything acts only according to its nature and there is no point blaming it for that. It is we who should be wise in understanding that. If the story were like as you suggest, the above moral could not have been brought out.

Dear Sravna,

Just to add..stories should be modified to show that there is no harm taking care of one own self and also caring for others...becos we can not deny personal safety to ourselves.

Like there is another saying that goes:

It is better for a wise man to give up life and wealth for the sake of others since death is inevitable therefore it is better to give up life and wealth for a good cause.

You see this type of advise gives the wrong mindset..I have seen many people who donate so much for others at the expense of their own family and finally their own family suffers.

So we should be smart enough to take care of our own family and as well as caring for society..there is no harm if one donates massively to others as long as his own family is taken care off too.

 

[sravna]

Dear Renuka,

Very much agree with both the posts. What is exposed to children should always be responsibly done. The epics need to be tailor made for children just as any other stories they watch. A good point made by your son.