Did you hear that sound?
Yes, you guessed it right. It is the sound of thunder roaring across the sky. But that thunder is not merely making a sound; it is saying something!
You may think that I am saying something foolish or strange. But certainly not. If we pay close attention to what the 'Brihadaranyaka Upanishad', one of the ancient scriptures of India, says, we can understand that a profound message lies hidden behind that sound of nature.
So, what does that Upanishad tell us?
Yes, you guessed it right. It is the sound of thunder roaring across the sky. But that thunder is not merely making a sound; it is saying something!
You may think that I am saying something foolish or strange. But certainly not. If we pay close attention to what the 'Brihadaranyaka Upanishad', one of the ancient scriptures of India, says, we can understand that a profound message lies hidden behind that sound of nature.
So, what does that Upanishad tell us?
It begins with a beautiful little story. Although this story may sound quite humorous, its deeper meaning is extremely profound and makes everyone think.
According to the story, once, three beings went to God in search of knowledge and guidance. One of the three was a human being, another was a divine being, and the third was a demon. These three beings, each with a different nature, prayed to God to guide them.
First, the human being stood before God and said,
In response, God uttered just a single syllable:
Then God looked at him and asked:
To tell the truth, the human being could not immediately grasp the complete meaning of that one syllable. Nevertheless, with his pride and self-confidence, he said:
God smiled and said:
There is something we should notice here. Human beings are naturally very miserly. There is no end to their greed. No matter how much they acquire, they keep accumulating wealth, believing that it is never enough. They are never readily willing to share the wealth they possess with others or to give generously to those in need. Based on this weakness in human nature, the human being understood God's teaching as an instruction to practise generosity and give freely.
Next, the divine being came to God and said,
God gave the divine being the same syllable:
Once again, God asked:
The divine being too did not immediately understand its true meaning. Nevertheless, with confidence, it said:
God smiled and said:
Because divine beings are always immersed in a life of pleasures and luxuries. They have no control over the desires of their senses. Therefore, they understood God's single-syllable teaching, 'Da', as a warning directed at their undisciplined nature. They accepted it as advice to keep the mind under control and lead a disciplined life.
Finally, the demon went to God and prayed:
God gave him the same syllable:
Once again, God asked:
The demon too had not understood it completely. Nevertheless, he confidently said:
God smiled and said:
As we all know, demons are naturally very cruel and violent. They have no kindness or compassion, and they can behave extremely ruthlessly towards others. That is why they understood God's teaching as a restraint placed upon their cruelty towards others. They regarded it as a message to abandon anger and live with greater tolerance and love.
The Upanishad concludes this humorous story in this manner. — This is also the very message that the thunder roaring in the sky continues to remind us of even today. Yes, when the clouds thunder, they make the sound 'Da, Da, Da' — meaning 'Daya, Dama, Daana' — the path of compassion, control of the senses, and charity.
This is exactly what the verse from the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad says:
Now, think for a moment about the situation we human beings find ourselves in today. Along with our own human qualities, we also have within us the pleasure-seeking qualities of the divine beings and the cruel qualities of the demons. Therefore, these three teachings given by God then are extremely relevant to the entire human race even today.
It is not enough for us merely to survive; we must be compassionate and tolerant towards others. Instead of chasing only material pleasures without any purpose, we must lead a highly disciplined life. Above all, we must control our greed and stop accumulating wealth merely for selfish purposes when we already have more than we need. Whatever we have beyond our own needs, we should generously give to our fellow human beings who are in distress.
This is what the thunder we hear in nature reminds us of every time. Now you too know the secret hidden behind it, don't you?
What do you think about this beautiful and meaningful story? Please write to us in the comments and let us know your thoughts. We will meet again in the next episode with another interesting subject.
According to the story, once, three beings went to God in search of knowledge and guidance. One of the three was a human being, another was a divine being, and the third was a demon. These three beings, each with a different nature, prayed to God to guide them.
First, the human being stood before God and said,
"Lord, what should I follow in my life? Give me a teaching."
In response, God uttered just a single syllable:
Then God looked at him and asked:
"Did you understand what I told you?"
To tell the truth, the human being could not immediately grasp the complete meaning of that one syllable. Nevertheless, with his pride and self-confidence, he said:
"Yes, Lord, I certainly understood. You are telling me that I should follow a principle that begins with the syllable 'Da'. Here, 'Da' means 'Daana', or charity. Giving to others what we have. So, you are teaching me that I should practise charity and generosity in my life, aren't you?"
God smiled and said:
"Yes, you have understood it correctly."
There is something we should notice here. Human beings are naturally very miserly. There is no end to their greed. No matter how much they acquire, they keep accumulating wealth, believing that it is never enough. They are never readily willing to share the wealth they possess with others or to give generously to those in need. Based on this weakness in human nature, the human being understood God's teaching as an instruction to practise generosity and give freely.
Next, the divine being came to God and said,
"Lord, give me a teaching that will light the way for my life."
God gave the divine being the same syllable:
Once again, God asked:
"Did you understand its meaning?"
The divine being too did not immediately understand its true meaning. Nevertheless, with confidence, it said:
"Yes, Lord, I understood. You are telling me to follow the syllable 'Da'. Here, 'Da' means 'Dama'. Dama means control of the senses, that is, keeping our desires under control. So, you are telling me that I should exercise control over the pleasures of my senses."
God smiled and said:
"Yes, you have understood it correctly".
Because divine beings are always immersed in a life of pleasures and luxuries. They have no control over the desires of their senses. Therefore, they understood God's single-syllable teaching, 'Da', as a warning directed at their undisciplined nature. They accepted it as advice to keep the mind under control and lead a disciplined life.
Finally, the demon went to God and prayed:
"Lord, give me a teaching too."
God gave him the same syllable:
Once again, God asked:
"Did you understand what I told you?"
The demon too had not understood it completely. Nevertheless, he confidently said:
"Yes, Lord, I understood. You are telling me that I should follow the rule of 'Da'. Here, 'Da' means 'Daya', that is, showing compassion. So, you are telling me that I should not be cruel towards others, but should treat them with compassion."
God smiled and said:
"Yes, you have understood it correctly."
As we all know, demons are naturally very cruel and violent. They have no kindness or compassion, and they can behave extremely ruthlessly towards others. That is why they understood God's teaching as a restraint placed upon their cruelty towards others. They regarded it as a message to abandon anger and live with greater tolerance and love.
The Upanishad concludes this humorous story in this manner. — This is also the very message that the thunder roaring in the sky continues to remind us of even today. Yes, when the clouds thunder, they make the sound 'Da, Da, Da' — meaning 'Daya, Dama, Daana' — the path of compassion, control of the senses, and charity.
This is exactly what the verse from the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad says:
"Tat etat eva, eshaa daivee vaak anuvada-ti stanayitnuh – da da da iti – daamyata datta dayadhvam iti"
– Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 5.2.3.
Now, think for a moment about the situation we human beings find ourselves in today. Along with our own human qualities, we also have within us the pleasure-seeking qualities of the divine beings and the cruel qualities of the demons. Therefore, these three teachings given by God then are extremely relevant to the entire human race even today.
It is not enough for us merely to survive; we must be compassionate and tolerant towards others. Instead of chasing only material pleasures without any purpose, we must lead a highly disciplined life. Above all, we must control our greed and stop accumulating wealth merely for selfish purposes when we already have more than we need. Whatever we have beyond our own needs, we should generously give to our fellow human beings who are in distress.
This is what the thunder we hear in nature reminds us of every time. Now you too know the secret hidden behind it, don't you?
What do you think about this beautiful and meaningful story? Please write to us in the comments and let us know your thoughts. We will meet again in the next episode with another interesting subject.
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