THE LITTLE BIRD

The great army of the Kauravas and Pandavas stood with relentless determination on the huge grounds of Kurukshetra. While the entire terrain was enveloped with seeping tension, elephants trumpeting, horses neighing and the roaring altercation of the cavalry, a small bird cooed from its nest.

It was not like the tree was on the the war grounds. But the little bird with her natural instinct knew that she would die with the usage of ammunition. She didn’t really worry about herself, but it was the nest that she had built for her little ones she was expecting to hatch in days to come. The motherly instinct had kicked in so hard that she prayed if there would even be one chance for the Kauravas to change their minds. She wept at the dear thought with cupped palms. But to her pitiful state while the Pandavas were ready to compromise for a portion of the asset, the Kauravas were unwilling to even part with the tip of a needle.

With the great armies facing each other, a crisis of consciousness suddenly struck Arjuna. The death of his near and dear ones meant to suddenly tear him apart. But Krishna was quick enough to preach to him the very essence of Bhagwat Gita. All said and done, the war was just about to begin when Krishna called out for Bhima.

When Krishna calls, the Pandavas march faster than the speed of light.

Krishna looked at Bhima and smiled soothingly. He said, “There is a tree on the outskirts of this war ground. There lives a small mother bird waiting for her babies to hatch. She fears that with the missiles at play, her little ones may not survive. So, build a shelter around her nest so strong enough that no weapon can penetrate through it.

Bhima was taken aback at the words of Krishna.

He hastily said, “Do you realize that this war is going to cost lives. Today Kurukshetra is going to be a ground of blood and we don’t know who all are going to die. And here you stand joking about a bird’s nest. I am aghast at your playfulness in a serious situation like this one.”

Krishna laughed and replied, “In your purview, there is nothing greater than winning this war and getting yourself the land of your ancestors. At this juncture nothing else seems bigger than that to you. While your ancestral land is important for you, all that the mother bird has, is her un-born. She sees no future without them. For me, this universe is my family. I have to listen to the prayer of even the smallest being. I know how many are going to die in this war. But that doesn’t stop me from protecting those who believe in me and have called out to me for help.

Bhima bowed his head down in shame.

With no arguments made further, Bhima built a stable shelter that wouldn’t allow any missile to penetrate into the bird’s nest.

Eighteen days had passed and Kurukshetra was enveloped in a blood bath and the disturbing variations of pain, stillness of death, smell of blood and rotten flesh.

Meanwhile, at a distance the cackling of new born baby birds filled the air.

Is God really listening to us!

This story which Veda Vyasa has documented in the Mahabharata gave me a new ray of hope that, every small suffering is still God’s concern and he has his own plans to set things right for us.

“Our safety is not God’s option, but it is his priority.”

Wait for your turn and Krishna will surely send a Bhima for your rescue!

WRITTEN BY ANITHA CHAKRAVARTHY SRIRAM