Stereotyping in haste!


Sauti said-As the demon saw the infant drop from his mother’s womb, shining like sun, he quitted his grasp of Puloma. The demon fell down & was instantly converted to ashes. The beautiful Puloma picked up her son Chyavana and came back to Sage Bhrigu's abode


Lord Brahma, saw the faultless wife of his son Bhrigu, weeping incessantly & comforted her. Drops of tears rolled down Puloma’s eyes, forming a great river which began to follow her footsteps. Brahma seieing this named the river Vadhusara


As Puloma returned, Bhrigu saw his child Chyavana & his beautiful mother & with its ascetic powers understood what had happened. In rage he asked Puloma, how the demon came to know about her & resolved to carry her away. Who knows the demon, tell me his name & I'll curse him


Puloma replied-O possessor of 6 attributes, I was identified to the demon by the fire god. The demon bore me away & I cried like female osprey, but because of ardent splendor of your son, I was rescued. The demon seeing this infant, shining like Sun, let me go & he himself fell to ground & was turned to ashes


Bhrigu on hearing about the events became exceedingly enraged & in the heat of the moment, cursed Agni saying-From today onwards you’ll eat everything without a thought if it is fit to eat or not


Fire god was enraged at this curse & said to sage-why this rashness towards me? What transgression can be imputed to me, who was laboring to do justice & was speaking truth impartially. Being asked, I gave true answer. A witness, who when interrogated about a fact he knows, if he lies then he ruins his ancestors & descendants for 7 generations. One who is fully cognizant about details of an affair, does not disclose what he knows when asked, is undoubtedly stained with guilt


Fire god said-I can also curse you! But Brahmanas are held by me in high respect. Also let me apprise you that I’m present in various forms in places of sacrifices & holy rites. When butter is poured upon my flames according to injunctions prescribed in Vedas, the celestials & forefathers are appeased, and they eat what is poured upon me. How I can be eater of all things clean & unclean, when I am the mouth of devas & pitris? Your curse is unjustified


The curse will affect all celestials & other beings shortly!


When someone hurts us or our loved ones, we see them as villain, a person whose existence is a curse to the world. Such behavior feels justified in our eyes. If we do this, we contribute, knowingly or unknowingly, to the negative stereotyping of them. And stereotypes sometimes take a life of their own, growing beyond just unflattering to demeaning or even dehumanizing. Consequently, blameless people end up getting attacked for something done even with good intention


When we stereotype someone, we often overlook people’s moral complexity. The same person who hurt us might have helped someone. The root of all this is ignorance & we should not decide in haste


Thoughts? #gameoflife

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