Insurance

A friend of mine is recently looking to purchase an insurance policy for himself and his family. We were debating upon the merits of such a policy and he argued the security for the family. In case of any untoward incident, his family shall be taken care of monetarily. The other day I met the same friend partying hard and later driving. He was lucky to have reached his home unharmed. Later, one day I sat thinking of him and his situation and a story came to my mind.

When the Pandavas formed their kingdom of Indraprastha, representatives from various kingdoms all across India were invited. Many kings and princes came to Indraprastha to pay their regards to the glory of Pandavas and also to satiate their curiosity on what kind of kingdom have Pandavas built, without the support from Hastinapur? Pandavas chose Sri Krishna to be their chief guest. This decision of theirs did not go well with many invited guests. Amongst them was Shishupal – the king of Chedi. Shishupal happened to be a cousin of Sri Krishna but was jealous of him. At the same time, Bheem had killed Jarasandha at the instigation and technique suggested by Krishna. Consumed by his jealousy and the idea to teach Krishna a lesson, Shishupal publicly opposed the decision of Pandavas. He called Krishna names and questioned his lineage. He went on to hurl insults and obscenities at Krishna. Pandavas and a few others got agitated with Shishupal’s behavior, but were calmed down by the ever smiling Krishna. Shishupal, sensing no objection to his insults, kept on with his offenses. 

When he spoke the 100^th abuse, Sri Krishna warned him to watch for his tongue as it could be fatal for him. Ignoring Krishna’s warning, Shishupal’s foul mouth committed the 101^st offense towards Krishna. Just then Sri Krishna used his sudarshana chakra to cut off Shishupal’s head.

When Shishupal was born, bad omens occurred. Some say that he was born with the head of a donkey. It was said that at the sight of Shishupal’s slayer, the donkey head would disappear. So when Krishna visited his aunt and saw the new born baby, the donkey head miraculously gave way to a handsome boy. Knowing the fate, Shishupal’s mother realized that her son would be killed by Krishna. To protect her son, she begged Krishna to forgive 100 sins of Shishupal. Sri Krishna smiled at her request and granted her wish. Assured of her son’s long life, Shishupal’s mother lived happily. So did Shishupal as he knew no one could touch him. However, in the happy days, Shishupal’s mother forgot to warn him of the 100 sins condition. Had he known so, he would have paid heed to Sri Krishna’s advise and would have lived longer. Had he known that he is allowed only 100 sins, he would have been more careful in committing those. Had his mother taught him to be a better human being, he would not have required the 100 sins limit!

In a way we all behave like Shishupal’s mother. Looking for a solution outside without searching for the same inside of ourselves. Be it organizations who look at external factors or latera hires or even consultants to fix their issues. Or be it individuals, who find it easier to blame others for what they could not achieve. To compensate for our own shortcomings, we almost every time blame others who support us or are with us all the time. We forget that even the best of support we have got has an expiry date attached to it. Instead of looking at the external factors, if only we can focus on the internal factors, we may be able to find a self sustaining path that shall lead to success in both – short and long terms.

At the same time, this story draws my thought process towards the parenting and teaching issues we are all grappling with today. We expect our children to do extremely well. We expect our schools to take care of our children. We expect the teachers to teach well and transform our kids into a super genius who is great at everything that he does. What we often forget is the inherent capability of the child and his or hers view of life. We often miss out focusing on the purpose of one’s life and are too busy building the safety nets than to make them better person.

If only we focus upon our strengths and weaknesses instead of looking for externa forces as security, more than half of the issues can be resolved easily.