We have a very common story in Telugu. I found this story retold by
Shri Mavuduru Suryanarayana Murthy in current context.
{Source:
http://andhrabhoomi.net/comment.html Site doesn’t archive}
The story with the commentary:
A King has seven sons. All of them went hunting. And got seven Fish. And they put them in sun to dry them. This is first part.
1. All seven sons went hunting indicating our culture that every able person in the house must work. The system doesn’t allow some people to live off of others’ hardwork.
2. Seven prince got seven fish which is very important point in the story. Kings going for hunting generally indicates hunting of animals. But here we can see even fishermen can become kings in our system.
Not only that. They brought seven fish ONLY. Take only what you need from nature. This nature is not your property. Enjoy what you need. Remaining wealth belongs to other life systems. Esavasyopanishad says “Eat what you need. You do not have any right on the rest. That belongs to God-conciousness”. What better socialism exists than this?
The second part is
One fish out of the seven didn’t dry.
Fish – why didn’t you dry > grass covered me.
Grass – why did you shadowed on the fish > Cow didn’t eat me.
Cow – why didn’t you eat grass > The servant didn’t unleash me.
Servant – Why didn’t you unleash the cow > Mom didn’t feed me.
Mom – Why didn’t you feed the boy > the baby cried.
Baby – Why did you cry > Ant bit me.
Ant – Why did you bit the boy?
This is second part.
It is a small ant that bit the boy. For such a small thing, by showing baby’s cry, the Servant was not given food. This is Adharma. Who caused Adharma here? Grass/Cow/Servant/ or the fish that didn’t dry?
Everyone tried to push the blame on to the other person and it came to the small Ant.
Third Part
Ant – Why did you bit the boy > Because the baby put his finger in my house.
This is the epitome of this story.
That small ant has the self-respect to protect its house. It is living its miniscule life but did not hesitate to protect its existence. If anyone disturbs its house, it bites. Not to kill the person. But to save its existence. However small it is, the ant tried to do whatever it can to warn the intruder.
Look around us. Numerous terror attacks doesn’t awaken us. Many external forces are interfering in our civilizational matters and cultural matters. But we are not even showing the existence that little ant showed in the story.
To awaken this civilization we should become the ants that protect our existence and self-respect.
In the old days seers/munis used to carry Dharma-Danda and show the Dharmic path to Raja-Danda. During pattabisheka time the purohita makes the Raja say “
Adandyosmi = I cannot be punished” three times. Then a seer (raja guru) would hit him with Dharma Danda and says “
Dharma Dondyosi = You will be punished by Dharma Danda”.
Today only Raja Danda is there. Dharma Danda has gone. The Dharma Danda people have in their hands is “Vote”.
Dharmo Rakshati Rakshitah (Dharma protects the one who protects it)