The Pride of the Demigods
Once upon a time, the demigods had defeated the demons and became proud of their victory. They thought, “Now we are victorious!”
Seeing their pride, Krishna decided to teach them a lesson. He appeared before them in the form of a Yaksha, a celestial being.
The Arrival of the Yaksha
When the Supreme Lord appeared as a Yaksha, the demigods were unable to recognize Him. Out of curiosity, Indra, the king of heaven, instructed Agni (the fire-god) and Vayu (the wind-god) to investigate and report back.
Agni’s Encounter
Agni approached the Yaksha and asked, “Who are You?”
The Yaksha replied, “Who are you?”
Agni, feeling proud, responded, “Don’t You know who I am? I am Agni, the fire-god!”
“Oh, you are the fire-god? Are you very great?”
“Yes, I can burn anything to ashes.”
The Yaksha placed a blade of grass before Agni and challenged, “All right, burn this tiny piece of grass.”
Despite applying all his power, Agni could not burn the grass. His pride crushed, Agni left in shame.
Vayu’s Encounter
Next, Vayu approached the Yaksha and asked, “Who are You?”
The Yaksha again responded, “Who are you?”
“I am the wind-god!” Vayu said proudly.
“Are you very great, wind-god?”
“Oh yes, I can blow away anything.”
The Yaksha pointed to the tiny blade of grass again and said, “All right, blow it away.”
Vayu applied all his force, uprooting huge trees, but the tiny blade of grass remained unmoved. His pride also crushed, Vayu left.
Indra’s Investigation
Finally, Indra himself went to investigate, but by then, the Yaksha had disappeared. Instead, he found Uma, the wife of Lord Shiva.
“Who was He?” Indra asked.
Uma replied, “He is the Supreme Brahman, Parabrahman. You lack brahma-jnana (knowledge of the Absolute Truth), so you could not recognize Brahman. You need to acquire this knowledge.”
Moral of the Story
Even devotees can sometimes become proud. The demigods are also devotees, as they follow the Supreme Lord’s orders, but they became proud. Krishna crushed their pride to show them His mercy. The gopis, Krishna’s cowherd girlfriends, have said, “O Lord, You crush the pride of Your own men. That is Your mercy.”
In Kali-yuga, pride is rampant. Everyone thinks, “I am great!” leading to constant quarreling and fighting. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s teachings are essential in this age. He gives prema (love of God) through the chanting of the holy name, but He conditions it on humility.
Humility and the Holy Name
To receive Mahaprabhu’s mercy, our heart must be humble, tolerant, free from pride, and respectful to others. Only then can we receive the prema-rasa (nectar of love) He offers. Otherwise, it is like trying to fill a pot with holes.
Krishna says that pride, arrogance, conceit, harshness, and ignorance are demoniac characteristics. A true Vaishnava (devotee) is prideless and gives respect to everyone, seeing Krishna in their hearts.
In Bhagavad-gita (16.4), Krishna says:
dambho darpo ‘bhimanas ca krodha parusyam eva ca ajnanam cabhijatasya partha sampadam asurim
“Pride, arrogance, conceit, anger, harshness, and ignorance – these qualities belong to those of demoniac nature, O son of Prtha.”
A Vaishnava is humble, considering himself the lowest and giving respect to all.
By chanting the holy names of Krishna in humility, one’s dormant love for Krishna’s lotus feet will awaken.
Reflection
Krishna crushes our pride to teach us humility, which is necessary for true devotion. In Kali-yuga, humility, tolerance, and respect are essential for receiving Krishna’s mercy through the chanting of His holy names.
Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare
PS: I humbly request all the devotees to please forward and share this moral/instructive story so that everyone can benefit by hearing about Krishna and His dear devotees.
