- Standing like a rock without compromising with values - 
Once our Guruji; a renunciant, living on the banks of mother river Ganga, performing his tapas and sadhana with great dedication and determination. One day as the holy man went for his bath in the river Ganga, he noticed a scorpion struggling in the water. Scorpions, by nature, cannot swim and the Guruji knew that if he did not save the scorpion, it would drown. Therefore, carefully picking up the scorpion, the Guruji lifted it out of the waters and was just about to set it down gently on the land when the scorpion stung his finger. In pain, the Guruji instinctively flung his hand and the scorpion went flying, back into the river. As soon as the Guruji regained his composure from the sting, he again lifted the scorpion out of the water. Again, before he could set the scorpion safely on land, the creature stung him. Again, as the Guruji shook his hand in response to the pain, the scorpion fell back into the water. This exchange went on for several minutes as the holy man continued to try to save the life of the drowning scorpion and the scorpion continued to sting his savior’s hand before reaching the freedom of the river bank.

Guruji’s disciple, Devadutta noticed this interaction between his Guru and the scorpion. He watched as the Guruji carefully and delicately lifted the creature out of the water, only to fling it back in as his hand convulsed in pain from each fresh sting. Finally, Devadutta said to the Guruji, “Forgive me for my frankness, but it is clear that the scorpion is simply going to continue to sting you each and every time you try to carry it to safety. Why don’t you give up and just let it drown?”


The learned man replied, “My dear child Devadutta, the scorpion is not stinging me out of hatred or evil intent. It is simply his nature to sting. Just as it is the water’s nature to make me wet, so it is the scorpion’s nature to sting in order to protect himself. He doesn’t realize that I am carrying him to safety. That is a level of learning and conscious comprehension greater than what his mind can achieve. But, just as it is the scorpion’s nature to sting, so it is my nature to save and serve. Just as he is not leaving his nature, why should I leave my nature? My value is to live compassion and help any creature of any kind – human or animal. Why should I let a small scorpion rob me of the divine nature which I have cultivated through years of tapas and sadhana?”


Comments

  1. Anonymous8 March 2015 at 06:05

    Guruji,

    Namasthe.

    Good work, keep it up.
    We pray a great success for your mission "Living Values"
    God bless you and your team

    Regards.

    ReplyDelete

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