Destiny : An Enigma
Often I have heard people say "A person creates his own luck ". This can be loosely translated into : " if you really work hard for something, the whole universe will conspire you to achieve it" or as "The Alchemist" says. But here's what makes things interesting: In a country with a 1.21 billion population, where every youth wants to make his mark , works equally harder just like everybody else around him. Then, why does only a handful achieve what everyone's been dreaming of ? There can be multiple reasons for that but I have often found my parents consoling me with a quote : " Not getting what you want is a wonderful stroke of luck" or " You don't get what you want , you get what is good for you!"
So, what is it that I'm supposed to believe?
To complicate matters further for me ( by me ),I was assigned to read Hitopadesha Tales as a part of my curriculum. The story which has caused a dilemma to this mid-twenty something has been narrated below, I do hope that you enjoy it & share your insight :
Like all stories begin, Once upon a time there lived a sage & his wife in the jungle. They didn't have any children and were unhappy about this fact of their life. One day, a kite dropped a she-mouse in the lap of the Sage while he was in meditation. He thought that it was a gift from God but if he would take the mouse to his home, people would laugh at him. So, he decided to change the mouse into a girl & took to his home. On seeing the Girl, the Sage’s wife asked, “Who is she? From where did you bring this girl?” The sage narrated to her the whole story and said, “I would bring her back to her original form”. The sage’s wife stopped him instantly and said, “Please don’t change her into a mouse.God must have sent her to us because we don’t bear any children”.Thus, the sage accepted his wife's request & they started to bring her as their own.
Soon the Girl grew into a beautiful maiden ready to be married. So the sage & his wife started looking for a suitable match for their daughter. They came to the conclusion that the Sun God would make the best match for their daughter. Hence, they prayed to the Sun God to appear. When he appeared, the Sage asked him to marry his daughter. But the Girl refused the idea saying that she might be reduced to ashes due to his warmth and light. The Sage was disappointed to hear this from the Girl.
Nonetheless, He asked the Sun God if he could suggest a groom for his daughter. The Sun God said, “The Lord of Clouds could make a good match for her, as he is the only one, who can easily stop the rays of the Sun”. The Sage then prayed to the Lord of Clouds to appear and asked him to marry his daughter. But the Girl once again rejected the proposal and said, “I don’t want to marry a dark person like him. Besides this, I am terrified of the thunder he generates”. The Sage was disheartened once again and asked the Lord of Clouds if he could suggest a possible groom. The Lord of Clouds said, “Wind God can make a possible match for her as he can easily blow me away”.The Sage then prayed to the Wind God to appear and asked him to marry his daughter. The Daughter declined the idea and said, “I can’t marry a frail person like the Wind God who is always stirring”. Once again the sage got sad and asked the Wind God to give some suggestion. The Wind God replied, “Lord of Mountain is solid and can stop the hard blows of wind easily. He can make a suitable match for your daughter”
As per the kind suggestion made by the Wind God, the Sage went to the Lord of Mountain and asked him to marry his daughter. But the Girl once again declined the proposal and said, “I can’t marry the Lord of Mountain because he is too cold-hearted”. She asked the Sage to find a softer groom for her. The Sage sought Mountain Lord’s suggestion for the same. The Mountain Lord replied,”A mouse will make a perfect match for her as he is soft and can easily make holes in the mountain”The daughter approved the idea of marrying a he-mouse. Moreover, she was pleased at this proposal. The Sage said, “This is destiny. You came as a mouse and you were fated to marry a mouse”. Saying this, the Sage converted the Girl back to a female mouse. The female mouse got married to a male mouse and lived happily thereafter.
This is a really good story, I may disagree about a few things, because I usually go with it can be changed unless it is written in stone, and I always try to live my life without worrying about what is fated to happen, of course if something doesn't work out I am sad, but that just makes me more determined to continue forward.
ReplyDeleteYou are so right and its good that you have shared to inspire many with your journey.
ReplyDeleteThanks
DeleteI believe my thought, my personality, my dos will make my destiny. We all get one at the beginning, but we can change on it if we want.
ReplyDeleteHuh! So true..
DeleteGreat content and this question is a wonderful conversation starter.
ReplyDeleteThanks ... I hope to find some answers
DeleteBeautiful narration...I only partially disagree on the aspect of destiny finding us.....destiny is set we have to find our way to it..this is where we go wrong and miss out
ReplyDeleteThanks
DeleteI think things happen for a reason. Fate and destiny do play a part in it.
ReplyDeleteYa I also think so but then there's a question about what is the meaning of our actions?
DeleteNice story, and great question. I'll be thinking about it
ReplyDeleteThanks ! That was the idea!
DeleteI really love the story of a she-mouse and a he-mouse. Some kind a sweet love story😊. For me my destiny is not rely on what is supposedly fated for us. Rather, I believe that we have free will to choose what we want us to take a path. And all the consequences are all up to us.
ReplyDeleteHmm... I also believe the same.
DeleteLovely story. I think the moral is that we should not try to change others. I have learned much of this with my children. Forcing them to be something they are not will not work in the long run.
ReplyDeleteYa that' should true!
DeleteFate has a way of playing itself out. Wouldn't you agree?
ReplyDeleteYa but I'm torn between whether it's fate or it's efforts .
Delete