5] Arrogance at Kailash - Part 2

Narad’s teaching had been affecting the children. They had stopped talking ill about their family, friends and relatives. Nothing is better than watching the obedience and respect descending into children. 

  ‘Naradji, where are we going now?’

  ‘Back to Indralok. I think you two need to know more about this. This was a lesson of arrogance by virtue of having power. See, how someone can be arrogant even though he knows he is not so powerful.’

  ‘What do you mean?’  Veer asked him. By this time, Yash knew that there was no point asking Narad. He will just show by himself. And as he knew, they were standing on slope of the mountain within no time. The boys had begun shivering. It was cold. Veer turned to see that it was snowing outside.

  ‘Where are we?’ his teeth were chattering while speaking. Yash mustered his strength and rubbed his palms together. Narad was standing as he was.

  ‘This is inside of Kailash. Abode of lord Shiva.’ Narad said and touched the soil of the divine mountain. ‘Watch carefully. Now, Indra and Brihaspati (teacher of gods) are on their way to meet lord Shiva. This simply says that no creature, big or small, god or human, dead or alive, human or animal, is different from another. Everyone has to take this route to Shiva. And without his permission, no one is allowed inside.

  The children saw Brihaspati and Indra climbing up and like an announced ghost, a beggar came strolling through. He grabbed Indra’s leg and begged for food. Indra, drowned in his power, kicked him off and made his way. The beggar was persistent. He would not leave Indra and Indra was equally stubborn. He would not heed no attention and insulted the beggar of his lowly life and pathetic behaviour as well as living by alms. Indra was digging his own grave, and was unknown of the fact that the same beggar was in fact Lord Shiva himself. He came down to test him.

  ‘Shiva’s anger is not good. Indra is a fool.’ Yash said. Narad laughed ‘In case of learning from his mistakes? You have no idea.’

  The beggar soon took the form of a much taller, stronger and angrier Shiva who was now standing as Maharudra, with an open third eye. Indra had no choice but to run. He knew what was going to happen. As Indra made his run, a strong and fierce ball of flames followed him.

  ‘How long will he run?’ Yash was concerned. 

  ‘He deserves it.’ Veer laughed. Yash hit him. ‘Indralok will topple without him.’

  ‘Don’t worry.’ Narad said. ‘Brihaspati’s apology calmed Shiva. This is not a few time incident. Indra repeated the same incident, when he underestimated Meghnad. When he tried committing adultery by changing forms and trapped Ahalya in a horrendous curse. His arrogance knew no bounds when Lord Kartikeya was told not to take the throne of Indralok. The fact that Kartikeya was a commander in his army, made him overjoyed and eventually thirsty to prove that he could have won without Kartikeya. Indra is the master of Indriya’s (senses). He sent them to control Kartikeya, but failed to do so. The unwanted fear of losing his position always made him worry and made him execute missions that came back to hurt him.’

  ‘Like?’

  ‘Like sending distraction to those who were strong enough to defeat him.’

  ‘What happened to the fiery ball?’ 

  ‘The huge ocean accepted it and raised him as his son - Jalandhar. As I said, a mistake done by arrogance, returns to haunt the arrogant. Tell me you two. Have you always treated everyone with the same respect?’

  ‘Yes.’ Veer said.

  ‘Liar…’

  ‘Alright...stop pointing fingers at each other. Make amends of your mistakes. Next time, we will see how even though you are a good person, you have to pay the price for wrong doing.

 Rules of Karma did not spare the gods, you are merely their children.