The Poisoned Food
Once there was a king who generously distributed food to the brahmanas. One day, as he was giving out food to the priests, an eagle flew overhead holding a dead snake in its claws. A drop of poison from the dead snake’s mouth fell into the food the king was distributing.
No one noticed this, and the king continued his distribution. Unknowingly, a brahmana received the poisoned food and died. The king was deeply saddened by the incident.
The Dilemma of Yamaraj’s Servant
One of Yamaraj’s servants, responsible for distributing karma, faced a dilemma. Who should receive the karma for the brahmana’s death? It wasn’t the eagle’s fault for carrying its food, nor was it the dead snake’s fault. Neither was the king at fault, as he was unaware of the poison.
The Unjust Critic
One day, some brahmanas entered the kingdom seeking to meet the king. They asked a lady by the roadside for directions to the palace. She pointed them in the right direction but added, “Be careful; the king is known to kill brahmanas!”
The moment she made this baseless accusation, Yamaraj’s servant had a decision. He assigned the karma for the brahmana’s death to her because she criticized the king unjustly.
Moral of the Story
This story underscores the consequences of unjust criticism:
- If you criticize someone justly, you inherit half of their bad karma.
- If you criticize someone unjustly, you inherit all of their bad karma.
This tale serves as a reminder to be mindful of our thoughts and words about others, especially devotees.
Lesson from Srimad Bhagavatam (5.10.17):
naham visanke sura-raja-vajran na tryaksha-sulan na yamasya dandat nagny-arka-somanila-vittapastrac chanke bhrisam brahma-kulavamanat
“My dear sir, I am not at all afraid of the thunderbolt of King Indra, nor am I afraid of the serpentine, piercing trident of Lord Siva. I do not care about the punishment of Yamaraja, the superintendent of death, nor am I afraid of fire, scorching sun, moon, wind, nor the weapons of Kuvera. Yet I am afraid of offending a brahmana. I am very much afraid of this.”
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.
