Sattvam: Soulful Tales and Food for the Soul

Even enemies could end up doing you good when they start fighting among themselves! Here is a smart and snappy story from the Panchatantra that reiterates this surprising truth…  Once upon a time, there was a poor brahmin called Drona. He got meagre alms, hardly enough to appease his hunger. He was literally a bag of bones, with no decent clothes. His hair and nails were unkempt, and he was a sorry sight indeed. One day, a man performing a yagna took pity on the brahmin and gifted him a few calves. Drona was dedicated to the calves and cared for them meticulously. He fed them the choicest grass, bathed them and tended to their every need sincerely. Soon enough, the calves grew to be plump and healthy. Unfortunately, a thief set sight on them and decided to steal them. Drona cared for the cows with love, and they grew hale and healthy Image courtesy: freepik.com The thief meets a demon That night, as the thief was walking towards Drona’s house armed with a thick rope, he was a...

  Trying to gain more than you need or deserve, through shortcuts and unfair means, will only lead to destruction. Here is an oft-repeated fable that reminds us of this. Jaggu, a fisherman, was sitting all day in his boat waiting for a catch, but alas, there was none. Just as he was about to wind up and go back home, a huge golden fish got stuck in his net! Jaggu was delighted. But as he pulled up his net, the fish spoke, “My dear man, I am a divine being, living in the form of a fish due to an evil curse. It is almost time for me to go back to deva-loka. So, please do not harm me. Be kind enough to let me go.” The fisherman was stunned to hear a fish talk, and instantly threw it back into the river. When he went back home empty-handed, his incensed wife shouted, “What use is this net, and what use are you, to me? Always coming back home with nothing!” The fisherman replied, “I did catch a beautiful golden fish today, haughty woman! But it spoke to me, and requested to be relea...

You would surely have heard of, or perhaps even visited, the famous Kedarnath Temple in Uttarakhand. However, do you know that this belongs to a set of five temples known as the Panch Kedar, and the interesting puranic tale about these? Kedarnath Temple; Courtesy: Chardham Yatra, Govt of India The Mahabharatha war was rife with schemes and scandals. The Pandava brothers too committed several sins – knowingly and unknowingly – during the course of the war. Two amongst these, were the deadly sins of gotra-hatya ( killing their kin) and brahmana-hatya ( killing Brahmins, like Dronacharya). These actions of theirs were inevitable – as they had to reinstate righteousness in a land plagued by adharma. However, none can escape from the fruits of their actions – be it good or bad. Hence, after the war, Lord Krishna advised the Pandavas to go in search of Lord Shiva, to seek his blessings and reduce the impact of their sins. The brothers first headed to Kashi (Varanasi), Lord Shiva’s favo...