Thursday, February 24, 2011

"The Snake and The Frog"

This is story from Sai Satcharitra. Hemadpanth one of the disciple and devotee of Sai Baba has described beautifully the story of frog and snake. The thing that attracted me most is the beautiful description of our deeds and the results thus we get out of it. Well as we live in the age of science, we negate the belief of God, supernatural power, rebirth and all. However, all the religion across the world do support these. Yes, no one can predict or prove these facts. They can be false or true, and this is based on our belief and trust on God.

In the last chapter of Sai Satcharitra, Sai baba describes the past Karma(past deeds) and the result thus obtained. He describes how we need to repay for all our deeds,if not in this life it follows us to another. I am making my best effort to describe the same story.

The story goes as below :-



One day after his breakfast, Sai baba took a walk and reached a place near a small river. There he took rest under a tree and prepared the chillim. There came a passer by and took shelter near him. The fellow helped Sai baba and was sharing the chillim with him. At that time they heard a croakking sound. After few minutes again they heard the same croakking sound. To which the fellow passerby asked curiously that what has been wrong with the frog. Then, Baba says he is getting the bitter result of his past action. The passerby did not get this and wanted to see what was really happening. When he went near the frog, he saw a big black serpent which was about to shallow the frog. Then he ran back to Sai and asked him to help the frog.

At his request, Sai baba assured him that nothing will happen to him. He told that he is there to protect the frog. How can something wrong happen. He then goes near the serpent and tells him that Veerabhadrappa is not your enmity over yet? Is not it enough for our enemy Bassappa, has not he repented enough by being born as frog. Is not it enough for you also, by being born as serpent, you still hanger same enmity towards him. Now, leave him and rest in peace.

Hearing this the serpent left the frog and dived into the river. The frog too went away from that place.

The passerby could not understand the mystery and curiously asked Sai baba to narrate the story of Veerabhadrappa and Bassappa.

Then Sai baba gave a glance of their previous life. Sai baba then says that that at ancient time there was a Mahadev temple. The temple was very old and needed repair. The villagers had gathered some money as per their strength and deposited it to one of the rich man who was to act as the treasurer. The wealthy man was a miser, so he did not give due attention to the repair work. And he am ashed some amount from the collected money, and never paid a penny from his pocket towards this process. When the work did not progress, the villagers came to him. However, he gave many reasons supporting the delay in work. And also demanded more money from villagers.

That very night, the wife of this wealthy man got a dream from Mahadev asking her to donate for this and make it successful, then she will be blessed with hundred folds for her offer. In the morning the wife shared this with her husband. However, the miser did not belief this and said this is a bad dream and she should forget thinking about it.

After few days again Mahadev appeared to the lady in dream and said her that he does not want any offering from her husband. He wants it from her as she is devoted to him. And also added that offering should be made from heart and not just the quantity of money. He also advised her not to listen her husband. The wife in morning, said this to her husband and got similar kind of reply. To avoid any unwanted disturbance in their relationship as man and woman, she decided to offer the jewellery that she received from her father. However, her greedy husband decided to cheat even God in this item. He undervalued the ornaments and bought it himself with thousand rupees and gave his wife a piece of land adjoining the temple. The land was actually of a old women who had mortgaged it and was not able to repay the loan. Thus, this land was given to the temple.

One day, there was heavy rain and thunderstorm in which both this husband and wife died. The old women also died. Then this rich man was born  to a poor bhramin family and was named Veerabhadrappa. His wife was born as the daughter of the priest of Mahadev temple and was named Gouri. And the old women was born as the attendant of the temple named Basappa. The priest was worried about getting his daughter married. One day, Veerabharappa happened to meet the priest while begging. The priest married his daughter Gouri to him with the consent from god.

However, in this life also he remained miserly for wealth. There was suddenly a price rise and the price of the land adjoins the temple raised to one lakh thus making it 100 times its actual value. Now, again Veerabhadrappa acted miserly and wanted to amash the whole amount. At this time Gouri went to Sai baba in obtaining a suitable advise as to what should be done with the amount. Sai advised her to give one portion to the temple and another to the attendant Basappa and remaining she can keep it herself. And this does not have anything with her husband as it was inherited by her from her father the priest. Meanwhile, both Veerabhadrappa and Basappa came to Sai quarreling about the amount. Veerabhadrappa was threatening Basappa when he took refuse under Sai. Sai gave him words that he will protect him where ever he goes.

Then after some days both Veerabhadrappa and Basappa died and were born as frog and snake. Thus, today Sai himself came to save the Basappa(the frog) whom he had given assurance to protect.

Thus the moral of the story is that one has to reap what he has sown. He has repay the old due to those from whom he has taken. And the greed for money, drags the greedy to lowest level and thus destroys him completely.

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