I stumbled upon this well known old mythological story of Bhasmasura and it really looked like an altogether a brand new story. How the same story can change with different perceptions.
Anyhoo, the story goes like this. Bhasmasura an asura wanted to be the most powerful and greatest of all the kings. But he lacked both the strength and courage to be so. So with Narada's advice he starts praying Lord Shiva. After many years Lord Shiva( also known as Bhola Shankar, one who gets carried away easily), pleased appears in front of Bhasmasura. Asura asks him to grant him immortality. When Lord Shiva says its not in his hands to do that, he asks for a power that if he touches anyone's head he would be burnt to ashes. Lord Shiva grants this boon to him. But wicked Bhasmasura with his eyes on Lord Shiva's wife Parvathi, tries to use his power on Shiva. Eventually he is saved by Lord Vishnu disguised as a beautiful woman Mohini. Bhasmasura so mesmerized by Mohini forgets his boons and places his hand on his own head, which burns him to ashes.
Well, little gratitude might have saved Bhasmasura. I strongly believe that a person who does not know what gratitude means deserves nothing. Absolute nothing. Why do people forget where they came from? How many hands they reached out to? If one cannot remember the path they tread from his/ her own life, how far can s/he go? I guess not so far! I tend not to be in debt or in obligation to anyone very cautiously for the same reason. For the fear that someday I like everyone, might miss this, ignore everything/ everybody and gloat in my success thinking its all mine. After all, to err is human, but I am not a saint who would believe in that.
I think people really lost this gesture. They have become callous, that all the good things that happened to them are just because s/he is awesome. They just think they "deserve", that they are "entitled" or that they are "privileged". In spite of all those things that happen, they are never really happy. They are nothing but ignorant and arrogant. Nice rhyming words: -p. They are so many other things apart from these.
On the contrary there are cases where one has to regret doing the good deed in the first place. My maid works in another apartment and they gave her kids brand new set of clothes on the occasion of Diwali. She comes to me and says "who knows what bad deeds they are trying to wash off by donating these clothes to us". Wow! Is "giving" so misinterpreted. This is a case where she does not think she or her kids "deserve" those new clothes but judges the giver. I am sure Lord Shiva might have had regrets too for granting the boon to the asura, well he is GOD and they have no such things. But I have had many situations where I regretted helping someone. Did I not establish already that am no saint and not expecting gratitude is not my thing. If expecting gratitude is one thing, getting bitten for helping someone is another thing.
Is this a rant? A preaching? Or is it both? Whatever it is don't you think people out there "deserve" it?:-p
