Airavat was
a white elephant in the jungle and because of his princely colors he was the
king of the area. One day there was a fire in the forest which started eating
away most of the life within. The King Airavat had to save his subjects who
were panicking. Not knowing what to do, he plunged into the fire and tried to
stamp the fire out. Alas, he could not understand the enormity of the situation
and was burnt to death.
Born again
as a white elephant because of his good intentions in his earlier life, Airavat
again became the king of the forest. This time with experience from his last
birth, he thought of creating a space in the center of the forest so that his
subjects can escape another forest fire. He went out in a rampage stamping on
trees and cleared a huge circular area in the middle of the forest. One day
there was a forest fire and this time all the animals gathered in the field.
There was no place left for more, but since all had arrived Airavat was happy
that he could save his subjects.
Standing endlessly
for the fire to douse, his rear left leg started itching. So he lifted his
right back leg to scrub. He started to re position his leg but saw a rabbit that
was sitting on a cow’s back has comfortably placed itself in the place where
his fourth leg was standing. Like a true King, he decided to stand on three
legs and let the rabbit be in comfort.
After the
fire was over, all the animals left the field and dispersed. Airavat, whose leg
had developed cramps due to prolonged un-grounded, found that the same has
become stiff? He could no longer bring it down. He had to live rest of the life
with only three legs on the ground.
Because of
his good deed and the act of saving so many animals Airavat was born as a human
in his next birth. The human called Dinesh. That’s me.
Dinesh has
had a wonderful upbringing and now has grown up as a leader of the family. He
is always surrounded by a thought: should I Live to Earn or Should I Earn to
live.
If I decide
to LIVE to EARN I am always in a fight about how much to earn. No amount of
earning will satisfy me as I do not know how long I am going to live.
If I decide
to EARN to LIVE I will be little happy for I may have some solace in the fact
that I have money to spend in hand. But then again I will not know how much to
earn for I do not know how much I will live.
The fact
that I am neither able to understand how much to earn for I do not know how
much I will live I am eternally suffering, for I am not able to earn nor am I
able to live without suffering.
In the life
span of all the three lives of the same Soul described here, we can understand
that good deeds are the fruit of a better next life. Yet if you see in none of
the three lives there is any happiness without suffering.
Is suffering
the only way to live?
Out of
suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are
seared with scars. Says Khalil Gibran
Suffering,
failure, loneliness, sorrow, discouragement, and death will be part of your
journey, but the Kingdom of God will conquer all these horrors. No evil can
resist grace forever. Says Brennan Manning
I am not
afraid of death for I know what I am here for, nor am I afraid of suffering. I
am here to carve my name on hearts, I have decided to live. Live to leave a
legacy which will be etched into the minds of others and the stories they would
share about me.
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