When King Dashrath was childless, he was deeply saddened. However, during those difficult times, there was one thing that gave him hope and kept him from falling into despair. Interestingly, this source of courage was not a blessing from a sage or deity, but rather a curse from the father of Shravan Kumar.
Whenever Dashrath felt down, he remembered the curse given by Shravan’s father. (Kalidas describes this in the Raghuvamsa.) Shravan’s father had cursed him, saying, “As I die from the agony of being separated from my son, so too will you die from the pain of losing yours.”
Dashrath knew that this curse would eventually come to pass, which also meant that he would have a son in this lifetime. (For only with a son could the curse of dying in grief be fulfilled.) Thus, the curse that foretold his future sorrow also brought him the happiness of having a child.
A similar incident happened with Sugriva.
When Sugriva sent brave monkeys in different directions to search for Mother Sita, he also instructed them on which paths to take and which regions to avoid. Lord Shri Ram was surprised at Sugriva’s detailed geographical knowledge.
He asked Sugriva, “How do you know all of this?”
Sugriva replied, “When I was wandering in fear of Bali, I couldn’t find refuge anywhere on earth. In this endeavor, I searched the entire land and, in the process, became familiar with all the geography.”
Imagine, if Sugriva had not faced this crisis, he would not have gained this geographical knowledge, making the search for Sita much more difficult.
As someone once wisely said: “Adversity is food, challenges are vitamins, and obstacles are blessings for those who embrace them with the right attitude.”
If every flower is a blessing from God, then consider every thorn a blessing too.
In other words, just as happiness brings joy today, so too can sorrow, disaster, or obstacles pave the way for future happiness. So, do not worry when faced with difficulties today; who knows what joy is being prepared for you next!
This story teaches us that often, what seems like a curse or a hardship in the present may actually be setting the stage for future blessings. Challenges, if faced with the right mindset, can bring about unexpected happiness and success.
