Long Long Ago

అనగా అనగా ..........

Long long ago, in a village there was an innocent young man named Ranganna. He was an orphan. One day, after dinner, he lay on small cot in the open air. That was full moon day. He was watching the beauty of stars, moon and clouds.

Suddenly he got an idea as the sky was a big pandal or tent. But nowhere its pillars were seen. Then why could not it fall down? Such that, innocent Ranganna doubted about the existence of sky. He felt fear that the sky fall on the earth by any moment.

Then he started running by shouting, “People all you run away! The sky is going to fall down on to the earth. Save yourself. Run! Run!”

By shouting like this he ran through the streets of the village and reached the end of the village. Nobody cared about his shouting’s and himself because villagers know about his innocence. He didn’t stop running. He departure the village and entered into the forest.

Where ever he gone, when he looked up he could see sky over his head. By that he increased his speed and ran in that night. By running like that, finally he reached a hut i.e. Ashram of a Saint who was in ‘Dhyanam.’

Ranganna fallen on the feet of the Saint, with grasping voice he said “Swamiji! The sky is falling down, onto the earth. Run from here. Save your life.”

With kind voice, the Saint asked him “My dear boy! Why are you feeling like that?”

Ranganna replied “Why not Swamiji! Won’t you see that the sky is like pandal; but having no pillars? At any moment, it can fall onto the earth.”

With pleasing voice the Saint said “No my child! There are pillars on the earth to bear sky and to prevent it from falling onto the earth.”

Ranganna immediately with wonder asked “Where?” The Saint replied him “I’ll show you. Now you sleep in my Ashram. In the morning I’ll show you the pillars of the sky.”

With peaceful mind, Ranganna slept there. In the morning, the Saint told him as “Look my boy! Go to nearby village and fetch food by begging. But while begging, you scold the host with harsh language. After your return, I’ll show you the pillars of the sky.”

Obediently Ranganna agreed for it. He had gone to nearby village and started begging. But whatever the door he touched to beg food, he scolded the host or house wife. Everybody got angry on him and tried to beat him and driven him out of their houses premieres. He didn’t get food any where till evening. He was tired and hungry. But he didn’t stop scolding the host while begging food because the Saint told him to do so.

At last, when he was begging food at one door with scolding, the house wife came out of the house with a plateful of food and said to him. ‘Take this food my child! How much hunger you are to scold the host with anger like this. Eat food and satisfy your hunger.”

By saying like this, the housewife i.e. host had given food to him. Ranganna got tears in his eyes that moment. By taking food in hand he approached the Saint in the forest and explained what happened.

The Saint asked him to eat food. He ate it. After relaxed, the Saint clarified his doubt as “Look my dear young boy! You had seen so many people who tried to beat you when you scold them while begging. But among such so many people, there is one lady i.e. one mother who has so much of patience & peace to satisfy your hunger, she didn’t get anger. Such people one among lakhs and crores, who get rid of anger, are the pillars to the sky. God had provided like that. So don’t bother about the sky falling onto the earth. No need to you to fear about it, understand!”

Ranganna the poor innocent guy, happily return to his place.

This is the story!

Note: To read the application of this story to our life, click here: Mother’s Lap