Management lessons from spiritual traditions (legend 2) – Stick to your own counsel and use your own discretion always
Many a time in life, we often lose out on opportunities by irrationally listening to the views of others while a simple rational thought paid to the situation could have helped us to get on with our life happily with correct decisions. Let me illustrate this with a legend from spiritual traditions and the possible lessons we can derive from that….
Once there lived a pious man who was an expert in rituals. A wealthy man wanted to avail the services of this expert for an elaborate vedic ritual. After the ritual, in addition to the usual dakshina (offering) of gold, the wealthy man also gave a goat as additional gift to the priest. The priest slugged the sheep on his shoulders and started walking on his way.
Three thugs who had noticed the pious man with the sheep wanted to trick him somehow and get possession of the sheep. They made a plan and accordingly they hid in three different places along the route of the Brahmin. The first man said “Oh Holy one! Why are you carrying a dog on your shoulders? Don’t you know that a pious Brahmin like you should not have such close contact with a dog?” The Brahmin flew into a rage and said, “Are you blind? Can’t you see that this is a sheep?” The thug replied “Oh sorry sir! I only said what I perceived. Forgive me if I am wrong,” and went on his way. The Brahmin resumed his journey.
After a while, the second thug confronted the Brahmin and said “Oh Holy one! Why are you carrying a dead calf on your shoulders?” The Brahmin replied “Are you blind? Can’t you see this is a sheep?...and mind you…this is alive and not dead!” The thug replied “Oh Sorry sir! I only said what I perceived. Forgive me if I am wrong,” and went on his way. The Brahmin resumed his journey again.
This time the third thug confronted him and said “Oh Holy one! Why are you carrying a donkey on your shoulders? Is it not a beast of burden that should carry your provisions?” This time, doubts crept into the Brahmin’s mind. He decided that all the three cannot be wrong. They have each perceived this sheep as something different…He thought “ One man saw it as a dog, the other one saw it as a dead calf and this good man sees it as a donkey; yet, to my eyes, it looks like a sheep all the time. Probably this is a ghost that takes different shapes and is out to take vengeance on me for some obscure reason. Let me get rid of it.”
So, he left the sheep beneath a banyan tree and went on his way – happy that he had rid himself of a dangerous ghost! The thugs happily tugged the sheep away for their feast.
If the Brahmin had held on to his perception of the sheep, and had confided in his own judgement, he would not have fallen prey to the machinations of the thugs! No matter how many persons say something……if it is not the truth ….IT IS NOT! We must have the firm conviction and not get swayed from what we believe to be right.
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story)
Article by Pandit R DAKSHINAMOORTHI
