4] Arrogance at Indralok - Part 1

So children, what did we learn till now?’ Narad asked the children.

  ‘From Ganesh, that no task is big or small. Listen first and talk later.’ Veer replied proudly.

  ‘From Hanuman, the importance of having power as well as how to use it. Devotion is the key to immortality and devotion frees us from all arrogance and negativity.’ Veer said proudly. 

  ‘Very good then. You two are learning fast. Now that you have learnt what happens when you are free from arrogance, learn now, what you can lose with arrogance.’

  ‘Meaning?’ Veer asked Narad. 

  ‘Meaning, we are visiting the past of lord Indra, and learning something very important.’ Narad replied and soon, the three of them were standing behind the pillars of Indralok, watching king Indra.

  ‘What time is it Narad?’

  ‘It is the time when lord Indra was at the peak of ruling. Gods were worshipped regularly and the belief, that without them, the world cannot run. What he does not know, that his false beliefs are going to be crushed by a toddler.’

  Veer could not control his laughter. He knew that story but the young Yash wanted to see for himself.

  ‘Did you only see his insult Veer? Or did you also learn something?’ Narad asked him. Veer began thinking and paid attention to what was happening. Soon, an attendant came running in.

  ‘About time! What have the people of Gokul and Vrindavan offered us?’ Indra asked. He was drunk.

The attendant was stammering and he mustered courage to finally speak.

  ‘One little boy has asked them to pray to the govardhan mountain instead of you. They have not offered anything my lord.’ 

Indra threw the glass in anger. Yash got scarred in an instant when the entire clouds turned dark grey.

  ‘A child?! And they pray to the mountain of dirt?’

  Indra tried everything in his power to break the mountain, which Krishna was holding on his little finger. He even threw hsi Vajra, but nothing to break an entire mountain. Vicious rains, storms and even tornadoes to topple on the mountain. Every creature that was about to die by Indra’s wrath took shelter with Krishna, under his mountain. He comforted them selflessly. Indra conceded. Krishna won. Indra’s arrogance drained down with his rain, when he came to ask for forgiveness on airavat (his royal elephant)

  Krishna said ‘What good is the throne and these powers, when you cannot control your ego. It was your duty to provide rain, with or without offerings.’

  Yash and Veer were laughing at Indra, when Krishna glanced at them. 

  ‘He caught you!’ Narad said and the children hid behind him. 

  ‘When a god like him cannot control his ego, then how can a human control it so easily? We fall for the trap of Maya every day, who treats us with ego, arrogance, greed and lust everyday. It is a matter of choice. Only true devotion can lead to salvation and free from all these qualities.’

  Krishna’s sweet words touched Veer and Yash.  

  ‘Just as Hanuman is a wind god, who conquered an entire ocean (water), by flying over it (sky) and rescued ma sita (daughter of earth) and also burnt the entire Lanka with his tail (fire), Shri Krishna is the one who reigns over all elements as well as Maya.  Allow me to children, to show you another time, when Indra learned the hard way.’