THE MONKEY AND THE BUFFALO








Pic.: Avinash Mantri



Years ago, when I had decided to do something about my poor English, one of the things I did – and found very effective – was telling a nice story in two tenses… the Present and the Past. Over the years, I have helped hundreds of people, who were earnest about improving their English, with the same method… Yes, write a nice story down in both the tenses… and, then, tell it to someone…

There ‘are’ these people in this world… and, like this monkey did, they who keep harassing others… and, they get away with their misadventure only till they receive a treatment they really deserve… I call it ‘Bhagwan ki lathi’…





THE MONKEY AND THE BUFFALO




PAST:


The legend has it that, long time ago, Lord Buddha was born in the form of a buffalo. So, by his very nature, this buffalo was very kind, tolerant and loving to every creature around him. No matter how unkind and unloving others behaved towards him, the buffalo did not act towards them with anger, hatred and revenge. Yes, others mistook this mild and kind nature of the buffalo for weakness, and, accordingly, some of them tried to bully him, harass and hurt him, quite often.


Particularly the monkey who lived on the tree right over the buffalo’s head!


This monkey gave a hell lot of trouble to our kind buffalo. Whenever the buffalo slept quietly in the shade of the tree, the monkey jumped on his back with a loud thud… He held buffalo’s horns and started pulling them harder and harder till it pained… He pulled and twisted buffalo’s tail hurting him in the process. This went on and on… and, still, the kind buffalo did not react or punish the insensitive monkey.


The Spirit in the tree, Yaksha, could no longer see this. “You are a huge animal, Buffalo,” Yaksha said to the buffalo, “why do you take all this lying down? Why can’t you punish the mad monkey, give him what he deserves?”


“No sir, I will not punish him,” replied the gentle buffalo. “But, let me tell you the day is not very far when someone will,” he added.


Soon, one day, when the kind buffalo wasn’t there, a wild buffalo, of a giant size, had come and stood under the same tree. The monkey, without realizing who he was – and, as he always did – jumped from the tree and settled on the wild buffalo’s back with a loud, nasty thud! No sooner had the monkey done that than the wild, fierce buffalo flung him hard on the ground, and, even before the monkey could come into his senses, the angry buffalo kept charging at him with his deadly horns, till the breath and the madness, both, went completely out of the monkey’s heart and head respectively!




PRESENT:


The legend has it that, (long time ago) Lord Buddha is born in the form of a buffalo. So, by his very nature, this buffalo is very kind, tolerant and loving to every creature around him. No matter how unkind and unloving others behave towards him, the buffalo does not act towards them with anger, hatred and revenge. Yes, others mistake this mild and kind nature of the buffalo for weakness, and, accordingly, some of them triy to bully him, harass and hurt him, quite often.


Particularly the monkey who lives on the tree right over the buffalo’s head!


This monkey gives a hell lot of trouble to our kind buffalo. Whenever the buffalo sleeps quietly in the shade of the tree, the monkey jumps on his back with a loud thud… He holds buffalo’s horns and starts pulling them harder and harder till it pained… He pulls and twists buffalo’s tail hurting him in the process. This goes on and on… and, still, the kind buffalo does not react or punish the insensitive monkey.


The Spirit in the tree, Yaksha, can no longer see this. “You are a huge animal, Buffalo,” Yaksha says to the buffalo, “why do you take all this lying down? Why can’t you punish the mad monkey, give him what he deserves?”


“No sir, I will not punish him,” replies the gentle buffalo. “But, let me tell you the day is not very far when someone will,” he adds.


Soon, one day, when the kind buffalo isn’t there, a wild buffalo, of a giant size, has come and stood under the same tree. The monkey, without realizing who he is – and, as he always does – jumps from the tree and settles on the wild buffalo’s back with a loud, nasty thud! No sooner has the monkey done that than the wild, fierce buffalo flings him hard on the ground, and, even before the monkey can come into his senses, the angry buffalo keeps charging at him with his deadly horns, till the breath and the madness, both, go completely out of the monkey’s heart and head respectively!


GERALD D'CUNHA

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