Proud of your Humility?

STATUTORY WARNING ⚠️⚠️⚠️ : This post may contain offensive stuff which can cause serious injury to your pride. Only if you are willing to risk grave injury, you may go ahead…

A note to the readers : These posts are only a part of my attempts to understand myself in the journey of self discovery. If they are of any help to even one person, the purpose of posting them is served. And if they don’t help anyone, even then the purpose is served. (The purpose of this post being to crush my pride over humility. 😁😁)

Starting with a little story told by Mata Amritanandamayi titled “You can’t be equal!”

Once a king went to a temple quite early in the morning for conducting his prayers. When he reached the temple there was no other devotee around.

As there was no one around, he bowed in front of the deity and talked openly to God,” My Lord, I am just nobody in front of you; I am meaner than the dust at your feet…”

When the king uttered this and stopped, he heard someone else too praying loud.The king looked back and noticed that there was one more person, who was simply repeating the same words that the king had uttered while doing his prayer. The king did not like it.

He asked in a loud voice, “Who is there repeating “I am just nobody”? Who on earth has the courage to repeat what I said to God?”. The king wanted to know who the other person was. He got up and went near him and found a beggar there!

The king said to him in a commanding voice, “I am the king of this country and when I say, ‘I am nobody’, no one has the right to repeat it; especially so when you are a beggar”.

Amma: “Children, many times if we think we are humble, it is just an imagination. Our humility itself is like a veil to cover our egoism and ignorance. Hence we have to be aware about it always”.

It all started some days back, when a friend gave me a compliment, “My dear you are such a humble and sweet person.” Ahh… The thought came into my mind.. wow, I am so humble and sweet… 🤩… Swamiji has always told us, that thoughts come and go, they have no importance in themselves. It’s when you hold on to the thought that it grows into a desire or expectation or emotion. Now I fell so in love with the thought of my own humility, that it started growing into pride… Pride over humility.😎😎

Now feeling great about yourself is alright. Self love is important. But self obsession is not. Let not your feeling great about yourself make you think that others are not as good as you… You are special. The very fact that you exist is confirmatory of this fact. You exist because God created you out of His infinite love for you. But the same is true of everything that exists. God loves each creation of His, as much as He loves you. He loves the little ant 🐜, the jumping monkey 🐒, the wriggling worm 🐛, as much as he loves you! How could He not love, when they are all His children? He loves the beggar on the road, the shopkeeper at the grocery store, the maid at your house, the neighbour who always annoys you, and the boss who always shouts at you, as much as He loves you. Each one of His creation is as special as you are. But being special, doesn’t mean you are indispensable. The earth 🌎 will continue moving round the sun 🌞, the seasons will continue changing, nothing will change in your absence. Nature doesn’t need you, your being there or not being there, makes no difference.

Now Lord has his own strange ways of crushing our pride…So today, as I was cleaning up the table after breakfast, I heard a story on TV. Normally my husband doesn’t watch this kind of stuff, so I gathered that it meant was for me. It was a beautiful story of Krishna smashing the pride of Satyabhama, Garuda and Sudarshan chakra .

Once it so happened Satyabhama was proud that ‘I am much more beautiful than all the other queens’. Krishna understood what was in her mind

The Sudarshana chakra was also very proud. ‘What is Krishna without me? He needs me to fight his battles’.

Next Lord came to know that Garuda was also becoming very proud. He was fighting with everyone. ‘What do you think of me? I carry Vishnu on my back. Who can compete with me? I am very powerful. Without me Vishnu is lame’.

So Krishna recognising this, decided to teach them all a lesson in humility. So He called for Garuda.

Garuda came and asked, “Yes Lord. What can I do for you?” Lord asked him, “Go to Gandamadana parvat, Hanuman is staying there. Tell him I want to see him immediately.

So Garuda went to bring Hanuman.

Then Satyabhama was standing near Krishna. So Krishna said to Satyabhama, “You please go to Rukmini and tell her that She has to sit next to Me and that She should dress as Sita today because Hanuman is coming”. Satyabhama immediately flared up, “Krishna! What are you talking? Am I not beautiful enough? Why I should tell Rukmini?” So Krishna said,”See, I have told you what to do. Now you do whatever you like.” Satyabhama thought that she would get ready as Sita and come. She came and sat next to Krishna.

Then Krishna called Sudarshana chakra. He came and asked,“What can I do, my Lord?”

Krishna asked him to go to the main gate of the palace and see that nobody enters from there.

By this time Garuda had reached Gandamadana parvat and found Hanuman was busy in chanting Lord Ram’s names.

Garuda said, “Lord Ram is remembering you just now. Will you come with me?” So Hanuman replied,”Yes, I am coming.”Garuda said, “Come immediately, otherwise I will carry you.”

Hanuman said politely, “See, you please go I will be there before you.” But Garuda started boasting, “No no. You dont know how powerful I am. I can carry your father Vayu also”. Hanuman said, “Please don’t agitate me. You just go and I am coming.” Again he repeated the same thing. “Please shut up now” said Hanuman and he caught hold of the tail of Garuda, swung him around and threw into the ocean of Dwarka. He was disposed off.

Now Hanuman was at the Gate, face to face with Sudarshana chakra. Sudarshana said, “Hey monkey? Where are you going?” Hanuman thought, “This is another one, today our Ram wants me to smash all these people.”He said to Sudarshana chakra, “In treta yuga I have served Lord Rama very sincerely. So Mother Sita has given me the benediction that I can go anytime to their inner quarters also to see them. So please allow me to go.”

But Sudarshana was adamant. Hanuman just picked him up and put into his mouth and walked in. Lord Ram was very pleased to see him. Hanumanji paid obeisance and sat down as if he had to say something. Lord Ram asked him, “What is the matter Hanuman. Do you have something to ask?”

Actually Satyabhama was sitting beside Lord Rama, so Hanuman asked, “My Lord, Who is this dasi?”

Satyabhama’s pride was thus crushed .Then Garuda came with wet body. Krishna asked him the matter and he said, “Ask Hanuman”. So Krishna looked at Hanuman. He could see his mouth was all red. Krishna asked, What is there in your mouth. Did you eat paan? He opened his mouth and Sudarshan came out with his eyes downcast.

Thus Lord smashed the abhimaan of Satyabhama, Garuda and Sudarshan chakra…

Thus may Lord crush all our prides. So, when vanity starts raising it’s head, let awareness wash away these little impurities before they taint your consciousness…

Ending this post here feeling slightly humbler than before… ☺️☺️