We see many times, that the little guy who is cornered by the giants is bullied and finally smashed. We feel helpless in such situations. How can a small group or a little person deal with those who are in power and have so much of strength and brawn? The thin boy at school, the lowly clerk, the helpless wife, the soft sister, the loving brother, the harassed employee, the citizen bullied by an autocratic government – we see daily examples of victims of problems in different walks of life. How can they solve their problems without strength and might? They can do so, if they follow the rules of the ancients – sama, dana, bheda, danda. Let us see this illustration:
A large herd of elephants lived in a jungle. Their leader was a huge tusker who took care of them with love. Once there was a drought in that area. The birds and animals in the forest died of thirst. The elephants too suffered from thirst. The leader knew that if they did not get water soon, many of them would die of thirst. So he sent out scouts to search for water in different directions. One of the elephants found a large lake of water in a far off jungle. The leader was happy. He ordered the herd to start moving towards the lake.
Close to the lake was a colony of rabbits. The elephants had to pass through this colony to reach the waters. They were thirsty and were charging their way through the forest to quench their thirst. Thousands of rabbits were trampled and killed and many more were injured. The rabbits were in a panic. An emergency meeting was held and the king addressed all the rabbits: the herd of wild elephants are passing through our colony and they have already injured and killed thousands of us. We must take urgent action to prevent more damage and death to our lot. I want you all to think of ways to save our group.
The rabbits gathered in groups and discussed. One little rabbit stood up and addressed the king: Your majesty, please send me as your messenger to the leader of the elephants and I will find a solution to the problem. The rabbit went off with the king’s blessings and best wishes. The rabbit found the group of elephants returning from the lake. In order to be seen and heard, he stood on a huge rock and addressed the leader of the elephants: O great leader of elephants, please hear me, I am a messenger of the Mighty Moon. He sends you an urgent message. But before I deliver the message, I want you to remember that I am only a messenger and you must not be angry with me or harm me. I am only doing my duty.
The leader of the elephants was impressed with the courage of the little rabbit and asked him to speak out. The rabbit gave the message: the Moon says that you are a mighty and wise leader and you brought your herd safely here to drink water and saved their lives. But you killed thousands of rabbits on your way to the lake and soiled the waters of the holy lake that belongs to me. The rabbits are under my special protection. The king of rabbits lives with me. So I ask you not to kill any more rabbits or something terrible will happen to you and your herd.
The leader of the elephants was shocked. He replied: O Rabbit, you are right. We have unknowingly killed many rabbits on our way to the lake. I shall see to it that you do not suffer any more. I shall request the Moon to forgive me for the sins of my herd. Please tell me what to do. The rabbit asked the leader of the elephant to come alone with him to the lake so that he could meet the Moon. When they reached the lake, they saw the Moon reflected in the still waters. The elephant bowed to the Moon. He dipped his trunk into the waters to worship the Divine Moon. At once the water was disturbed and the Moon seemed to move to and fro.
The rabbit looked at the shifting reflection of the Moon and said to the elephant that the Moon was angrier than ever because the elephant had touched the holy waters of the Moon’s lake. The elephant bowed his head and begged the Moon to forgive him and he promised never to touch the waters of the holy lake again. Nor would his group harm any of the rabbits who were so dear to the Moon. The herd of elephants went away. Soon there were rains and all lived happily.
This story illustrates the use of sama, dana, bheda and danda. The rabbit praises the elephant for its mightiness and leadership – sama. It points out the damage caused and the elephants ask for forgivness of Moon in return for not harming the rabbits – dana. The rabbit takes the leader alone to the lake and makes him feel he has committed more mistakes and now is in danger of punishment - bheda. The rabbit tells the elephant if the holy waters of the lake are disturbed again he and his herd will suffer – danda. Thus by cleverly using the right technique and words, the little rabbit was successful in protecting his group from the strength of herd of wild elephants. This is indeed a lesson for us to ponder. Brains, soft words and right technique of negotiation win – not might and brawn!
