Empowerment!

 

Yudhisthira said to Mārkandeya Rsi: I would like to hear about glories of chaste women who’re always faithful to their husbands. Such exalted women are treated as veritable deities & given same respect as offered to the Sun, Moon, Earth, Fire, Father & Mother, & preceptor. I greatly admire such women. Not only they undergo great austerities to control their senses to serve their husbands like gods, but they also accept troubles bearing & raising children

 

Rsi said: It’s a fact that life of chaste woman is more difficult than that of a man. For her, performance of sacrifices & austerities is not as effective as sincere service she renders to her husband. Indeed, its faithfulness alone that awards her heavenly destination. To illustrate this, I’ll narrate an interesting story

 

There was once a Brāhmanā named Kausika, who was devoted to study of Vedas. One day as he was reciting Vedas seated beneath a Banyan tree, a she-crane passed stool on his head. With eyes red with rage, he looked at crane & it dropped dead. Seeing result of his anger, Kausika was sorry & with great remorse he lamented to act so maliciously

 

Sometime later, Kausika went to a nearby village to beg alms & came to a house where he asked the housewife for charity. The lady said: Pls wait a bit & went inside. As she was cleaning the bowl used for giving alms, her husband suddenly arrived, tired & hungry

 

Due to this, the chaste wife forgot about Brāhmanā & quickly went to tend to her husband’s need. She gave him comfortable seat & water to wash feet and sumptuous food with drinks. After fulfilling his needs, she stood respectfully awaiting his orders. She always ate her husband’s remnants, performed her household duties expertly, treated her husband & his relatives with great respect

 

The lady then suddenly remembered that she had asked Brāhmanā to wait. Feeling ashamed of her negligence, she quickly took some alms & came before him. Kausika was very angry by this time & when he saw the woman finally coming, he fumed: I’m very surprised that you would dare make me wait like this!

 

The woman tried to pacify Kausika & said: My husband is my Lord & hence I always serve him first

Kausika said: Foolish woman, do you really think that your husband is more worthy of respect than Brāhmanās, before whom even Indra bows his head? Don’t you know that Brāhmanā’s wrath can destroy entire earth?

 

Woman said: O sage! I’m no she-crane! So, you better give up your anger, for it will never be able to harm me. I certainly have respect for Brāhmanās & know that by their wrath the ocean has become salty & thus undrinkable. I also know how you had killed she-crane with your angry glance. Still, you should know that one is really a Brāhmanā when he has conquered his lust and anger & is always forgiving. Considering this you should forget my small fault

 

Executing defined responsibilities is elevating & liberating. However, feeling driven actions can be binding as they are often fickle & unreliable, and we may regret them later. Bhagvad Gita cautions that those who don’t sacrifice for a higher cause live in vain, frittering their life in satisfying petty sensual desires

 

Sense of responsibility empowers us & devotional service is the most empowering of all, which connects us with the Supreme Lord

 

Thoughts? #gameoflife