ILL WILL – WILL KILL
He was a good-for-nothing fellow, sit-at-home, doing nothing. His wife was fed up and found it difficult to run the home and make two ends meet. One day she told him, "Look here, every man goes out to work, to earn for a living. You better go out, work, beg, steal, do whatsoever, otherwise we’ll starve."
He left home and just outside the village he saw a cow and brought her home and told his wife – "Here now, look after the cow. She is going to calve soon and she’ll give milk."
The wife took care of the cow, brought grass for her. The cow gave birth to a calf and was in milk. But....
Whenever the good-for-nothing fellow sat with a pail to milk her, his neighbour the potter’s donkey started braying and the cow became tense and held back milk. It became a daily morning, evening routine; whenever he sat for milking the cow, the donkey brayed and there would be no milk.
The good-for-nothing fellow was at his wit’s end – what to do? The potter was a clever man and he was not on talking terms with him either; he didn’t want to pick a bone for him. He prayed to God instead, "God, send death on this donkey – finish with it. He has made our life miserable."
However nothing happened to the potter’s donkey. Instead his cow died of snake-bite.
The good-for-nothing fellow was distraught, broken-hearted. He was deeply hurt and in grief over his cow’s death. He sat depressed holding his head in his hands. Just then Shiva and Parvati happened to pass that way.
"Why is this man so depressed? What is troubling him?" asked Parvati.
Shiva approached him and asked him, "My good man, what’s it that troubles you? Why are you so depressed?"
"What’s it to you? You better go your way."
"Do tell us why you’re so depressed. After all God listens to one and all."
"No he doesn’t. If I find Him, I will take Him to task."
"But what’s it that troubles you? Sharing one’s sorrow with another makes it bearable."
The good-for-nothing chap said, "What sort of God is He? He doesn’t even know the difference between a cow and a donkey. I prayed to Him to kill the donkey, and He has killed the cow."
Shiva turned to Parvati and said, "Let’s go, Parvati."
Parvati replied, "Maharaj, before we go, do something for him."
Shiva said, "Gaurajaan, let’s go. This man is not good."
Parvati wouldn’t budge. Shiva had to do something. He told the good-for-nothing chap, "Go home, henceforth you’ll get what you ask for, but remember that your neighbour will get double of what you get. He is hard working. His family is also larger. Don’t overshoot – cultivate contentment."
The good-for-nothing man flared up. "You go your way. I’ll see what I have to do."
As soon as the good-for-nothing man entered his house, he said, "I wish my cow were alive today." In no time, a cow appeared in his courtyard. But when he looked towards his neighbour’s house, he saw two cows standing there.
Then he said, "Two bushels of wheat flour should come." And lo and behold! Two bushels of flour appeared in his house but four bushels appeared at the potter’s. He asked for one horse, the potter got two. He ordered one mansion, two appeared on the potter’s plot of land.
In the beginning, he and his wife enjoyed all the good things of life to their heart’s content – delicious eatables, lovely clothes and what not. But soon he began to resent the potter’s prosperity and happiness and it began to eat into his happiness.
When his wife taunted him, he said, "Don’t worry, my good wife, I’ll do something to mar his happiness."
A few days later he said, "A well should spring up in front of the threshold of my house."
Two wells sprang up in front of the potter’s. Then he said, "Each member of my family should become half blind." The next moment, all the members of the potter’s family became totally blind and one by one each of them fell into the wells as they came out.
Now the good-for-nothing man was content.
Shiva was seeing all this from his high heaven. He told Parvati, "See, this man has a heart full of blackness – full of ill-will. Help should go only to one who is good-hearted and doesn’t wish anyone ill."
He was a good-for-nothing fellow, sit-at-home, doing nothing. His wife was fed up and found it difficult to run the home and make two ends meet. One day she told him, "Look here, every man goes out to work, to earn for a living. You better go out, work, beg, steal, do whatsoever, otherwise we’ll starve."
He left home and just outside the village he saw a cow and brought her home and told his wife – "Here now, look after the cow. She is going to calve soon and she’ll give milk."
The wife took care of the cow, brought grass for her. The cow gave birth to a calf and was in milk. But....
Whenever the good-for-nothing fellow sat with a pail to milk her, his neighbour the potter’s donkey started braying and the cow became tense and held back milk. It became a daily morning, evening routine; whenever he sat for milking the cow, the donkey brayed and there would be no milk.
The good-for-nothing fellow was at his wit’s end – what to do? The potter was a clever man and he was not on talking terms with him either; he didn’t want to pick a bone for him. He prayed to God instead, "God, send death on this donkey – finish with it. He has made our life miserable."
However nothing happened to the potter’s donkey. Instead his cow died of snake-bite.
The good-for-nothing fellow was distraught, broken-hearted. He was deeply hurt and in grief over his cow’s death. He sat depressed holding his head in his hands. Just then Shiva and Parvati happened to pass that way.
"Why is this man so depressed? What is troubling him?" asked Parvati.
Shiva approached him and asked him, "My good man, what’s it that troubles you? Why are you so depressed?"
"What’s it to you? You better go your way."
"Do tell us why you’re so depressed. After all God listens to one and all."
"No he doesn’t. If I find Him, I will take Him to task."
"But what’s it that troubles you? Sharing one’s sorrow with another makes it bearable."
The good-for-nothing chap said, "What sort of God is He? He doesn’t even know the difference between a cow and a donkey. I prayed to Him to kill the donkey, and He has killed the cow."
Shiva turned to Parvati and said, "Let’s go, Parvati."
Parvati replied, "Maharaj, before we go, do something for him."
Shiva said, "Gaurajaan, let’s go. This man is not good."
Parvati wouldn’t budge. Shiva had to do something. He told the good-for-nothing chap, "Go home, henceforth you’ll get what you ask for, but remember that your neighbour will get double of what you get. He is hard working. His family is also larger. Don’t overshoot – cultivate contentment."
The good-for-nothing man flared up. "You go your way. I’ll see what I have to do."
As soon as the good-for-nothing man entered his house, he said, "I wish my cow were alive today." In no time, a cow appeared in his courtyard. But when he looked towards his neighbour’s house, he saw two cows standing there.
Then he said, "Two bushels of wheat flour should come." And lo and behold! Two bushels of flour appeared in his house but four bushels appeared at the potter’s. He asked for one horse, the potter got two. He ordered one mansion, two appeared on the potter’s plot of land.
In the beginning, he and his wife enjoyed all the good things of life to their heart’s content – delicious eatables, lovely clothes and what not. But soon he began to resent the potter’s prosperity and happiness and it began to eat into his happiness.
When his wife taunted him, he said, "Don’t worry, my good wife, I’ll do something to mar his happiness."
A few days later he said, "A well should spring up in front of the threshold of my house."
Two wells sprang up in front of the potter’s. Then he said, "Each member of my family should become half blind." The next moment, all the members of the potter’s family became totally blind and one by one each of them fell into the wells as they came out.
Now the good-for-nothing man was content.
Shiva was seeing all this from his high heaven. He told Parvati, "See, this man has a heart full of blackness – full of ill-will. Help should go only to one who is good-hearted and doesn’t wish anyone ill."
