Hero or Zero!
 
King Sāntanu said harsh words to Gangā as she was drowning their 8th child. Hearing his reproach, she spared the child but said-O King! I’m celestial goddess Gangā & these children that we conceived were 8 Vasus, who had been cursed to suffer human births. Your harsh words have now freed me from a curse & I shall now return to heaven
 
As Gangā prepared to depart, Sāntanu asked why Vasus had been cursed. Gangā narrated the story as follows:
Nandini, the Kāmdhenu (wish fulfilling cow) was begotten by sage Kashyapa in the womb of Daksha’s daughter Surabhi. The divine cow came under the care of the sage as she was valuable for his sacrificial performances
 
Once while wandering in forest, the Vasus came to Vashishtha’s hermitage & they saw Nandini. One of the Vasu, Dyu, spoke very highly about the Kāmdhenu to his wife. He concluded by saying that if a human being drinks the milk of this celestial cow, he’ll become endowed with unchanging youth for 10 000 years. Dyu’s wife begged him-Please take this cow so that I can present it to my good friend Jitāvati
 
Dyu, eager to act in a way that his wife would consider him as a hero, stole Nandini with the help of his brothers. The sage was absent at that time & when he returned home, he could not find the cow as well as her calf. He began searching throughout the nearby forest. When he couldn’t find Nandini anywhere, he went into a trance of meditation and came to know about the truth of the matter
 
Flaring up with rage, Vashishtha cursed the Vasus to take birth within human society. After cursing, the sage returned to his meditation. When the Vasus learned of the curse, they hastened to his hermitage & begged for forgiveness. The sage refused to retract his words but gave a concession-he allowed that the Vasus would quickly be freed from the curse but Dyu would be the exception, who alone would have to live a long life upon earth. Dyu was born as Devavrata aka Bhisma Pitamaha
 
Bravery is not to take lawful possession of others but to obtain things by self-capability and skills. Life’s battles often expose our weakness, and we need to address them to progress. However, denying our defects is cowardly not bravery. It takes courage to confront them, take responsibility & fix them as much as possible
 
Displaying heroism on the basis of principles is real but false aggrandizement is denial of self-potency and destroys our reputation. Disconnection with the Supreme Lord is the root cause of our weakness & when we courageously connect with him through devotion, we become purified, guided & empowered to be a hero, the best of our-self
 
nehābhikrama-nāśo ’sti pratyavāyo na vidyate
sv-alpam apy asya dharmasya trāyate mahato bhayāt
 
In this endeavor there is no loss or diminution, and a little advancement on this path can protect one from the most dangerous type of fear
 
Thoughts? #gameoflife