A Tale
- B.P. Koirala
Summary of the Story
Long-long ago human beings could complete with gods. God did not hesitate to request help from human beings. They could get godhood by the hard penance. God used to be envious and tried to destroy the penance of the people who left all the worldly pleasures. Gods used to send beautiful nymphs for the destruction of penance.
Once, a man wanted to achieve supreme knowledge and godhood. So, he went to the forest for penance. He lived in the forest at wild roots and drank water from the river. He started hard penance. He sat in front of tongued fires in summer and plunged into ice-cold water in winter. The wild animals surrounded him as guards. Tigers and bears tiptoed not to disturb the sage. Termites build their nest one his leg. But the sage went on sitting motionlessly in deep meditation. The sage's penance started to threaten the seat of Indra. So, Indra, king of gods sent an attractive and beautiful nymph in the forest to destroy the sage's penances.
She came down and started playing in the river which was near to the sage. She put off her clothes and stooped to feel her hands with water. Her breasts seemed so lovely like twin birds. At that very moment, the sage's eyes were suddenly opened as he was going to get godhood but he left his penances. He went towards the nymph because she was so attractive.
They married in the forest. The sage and his wife built a house in village. They gave birth of sons and started living a normal life. They helped their neighbors, nursed sick and fed hungry people. But the villagers did not like the Woman because she destroyed the sage's penance. This story may be trying to give massage that people can easily be defeated by the beauty.
Many years ago, human beings, competed with the gods who would request the human beings to help t hem in fight against the demon. The human beings wanted to become gods through penance but the clever gods broke their penance by sending beautiful nymphs. In the course of achieving supreme knowledge and god hood, a man went to the remote jungle because the thought that social obligations and the love of family and friends would block the path of godhood in the society. The man survived by eating fruits and drinking water by his hut.
To win over his flesh, he sat before seven tongued fire in the summer and plunged into ice cold water in the winter. With much difficulty, he won his flesh and lost his soul to god. He received bliss by his penance and spent many years along with insects and animals. He felt the brightness of thousand suns inside him. The king of the gods, Indra, was afraid of him and sent the most beautiful nymph to destroy his penance. The nymph came to the river near his hut. She put off her clothes and entered the river water excitedly.
At that time, the sage's eyes opened. He could not control his sexual desire and went towards her. He got attracted to her youth forgetting his main aim of achieving godhood. Then he married her and returned to his village. They started to live in simple domestic life and helped the villagers in whatever way they could. But the village people looked at them with hateful eyes. However the sage experienced the same bliss in his meditation with the nymph in the jungle and in his simple domestic life.
Interpretation
The writer may be trying to tell us that over ambition leads towards destruction. He is also trying to tell us that the state of bliss and relax of beauty are similar. Passion is very strong and undying. It blocks the path of progress. One, who cannot control his senses, can hardly reach his goal. Running away from our own desire to achieve unknowable is not justifiable, reasonable and praiseworthy. We need to adjust and make balance between our heart and mind, desire and need. Being idealistic is against our practical life, happiness and better future. Even great personalities get defeated against desire. Inner peace and outer peace are two parts of life. We should be able to balance them. This story tells us that passion or lust is great and never dies. Some people look indifferent to family life and even leave home to get peace but ultimately they return home
Critical Thinking
After reading this story, I knew a very good moral lesson. It teaches us to live simple life with high thinking and not to be over ambitious. Yet there are some points to the writer which are not easily agreeable. Do gods exist? Can anyone live by sitting before seven tongued fire in the summer and plunging into ice cold water in winter? Can't the harmful and poisonous insects and beast disturb a man's penance in open place in the jungle? If people feel bliss in simple domestic life, why do they leave home and become hermits or saints? So, I don't totally agree with the writer.
Assimilation
This story tells us that passion or lust is great and never dies. Some people look indifferent to family life and even leave home to get peace but ultimately they return home. There is a man in my locality who said that married life would block the way of progress. So, he promised to live a single life. He even made friends with the hermit. But after some years, he changed his idea and married a girl. He had two children but he again got married with another woman. He was charged in other many cases with his immoral relation with other women. Thus, man can never win the nature and its system.