Once a boy found a job in a barn.
Every day he had to remove all the cow dung, clean the whole place, feed, milk
and clean the cows, graze them for some time and tie them back in the shed. His
employer was a very strict person. He would not tolerate even a minor slip-up
and would punish anyone who failed at his duty.
A new Ganesh temple was being
built in the town. It was decided that the Ganesh idol should be taken in procession
along the streets of the town before consecration in the temple. This boy was chosen
for the job. He was bathed and clothed in new silk robes. Fragrant sandal paste
was applied all over his body and he was adorned with garlands. The Ganesh
statue was then placed over his head and he was taken in procession with the
accompaniment of traditional music, bursting of firecrackers and chanting of
the Vedas.
Everybody prostrated to him. They
lighted camphor and took ‘Arati’ reverently. They also offered him milk, tender
coconut water and the like to quench his thirst. They held an umbrella over his
head. They even washed his feet and applied sandal paste and vermilion. His joy
knew no bounds! He thought that his life had changed forever. After the
procession, he returned to the barn with a fattened ego and felt no inclination
to work. He went to his master’s room and ate the food that was kept aside for
his master. He also lay down on his master’s cot and slept.
The master on his return saw the
whole thing and was infuriated. He shook the boy awake and gave him a sound
thrashing. The boy was shocked and could not understand anything. He thought, “Everybody
treated me with such reverence just a few moments back! Even my master
prostrated to me! Now why does he behave indifferently? Why is he beating me so
cruelly?” Thinking thus, he cried inconsolably. His colleague told him, “You
are such a fool! The respect that was shown right from the morning was not for
you but for the idol of Ganesh on your head. You nurtured a misconception that
it was for you and that is the cause for your suffering.” Realizing the truth,
the boy came back to his senses and behaved normally as before.
Moral: Children! People respect
us only for our social status, wealth, education or skills. If these are taken
away, they might not even look at us. If this fact is understood properly, we
will never tend to be egoistic in our lives.
