I read about a story from the Mahabharata today. Ashwathama, as a child, wanted to taste milk, seeing other children of his age enjoying it. His family was too poor to afford milk. His mother, therefore, mixed rice flour in water, sweetened it and gave it to him,calling it milk. Ashwathama was delighted to have tasted milk and jumped about, overjoyed. His mother cried silently about having deceived her son.
Its not quite often that I ponder about what I have read even after hours have passed but this story seems to have got me thinking much more than I thought it would!
A mother, however poor she is, can never disappoint her child. Another case in point - my best friend and me were drinking coffee at St. Martha's Hospital canteen. We saw a couple with their little child. The couple clearly could not afford to buy a coffee or a snack for themselves from the canteen but they still bought a tetrapack of Njoi for their little one because she was thirsty.
After having read Ashwathama's story, I was thinking to myself - True happiness is indeed inherent within oneself. The child believed that he was drinking milk and was therefore elated.
Then there is also the angle of trust - a child trusts his parents implicitly. Even if they called an orange an apple, he would believe them and try to prove those who called the orange, an orange, wrong.
Just my thoughts...
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4 comments:
Heard this story again after a very long time! I wonder what repercussions this had in the story, since amazingly enough, every event has a repercussion in the Mahabharata (a la Harry Potter's books). I am sure Ashwathama had a boon because of this.
Anyway, there is more discussion. There is a fair in Gharwals based on this(tapkeshwar mela, apparently it is also said that ashwathama was devoid of mother's milk.
But yes, I do agree. Parents can go to any length to get all the little things the child wants. Sadly, I don't know if children do the same now a days.
Yeah I read about ashwathama being devoid of mother's milk too (though no reason is quoted for it). Parents are the most selfless beings when it comes to their children! But children these days do not seem to realize the value of their parents before it is too late!
so touching and very well written.Yes mother's bond with the kids is the only relationship which is devoid of any expectations.I am proud to be a mother .
that certainly is food for thought!
this story made me stop and ponder, too. yes, parents do seem to seek their own happiness through a sense of comfort they bring about in their childrens' lives.
i would like to share this story i once heard from my hindi class teacher. i know the story's sentimentalist and a fantasy, but here it goes.
once a guy was courting a girl. the girl unsure of the guys commitment asks him to do a task to prove his love. she tells him to bring his mother's heart to her. the guy does not think twice and kills his mother. he takes the heart and starts running to his girl. while doing so, he trips over the roots of a tree and falls down hard, losing the contents in his hands to the ground. he picks himself up, brushing himself and goes over to pick his mother's heart. as he bends over to pick it up, the heart asks to him out of concern, "bete, kahin chot to nahi lagi tumhe?"
i like your style of writing.
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