Chinna Katha

[Guest guest]

"Oka Chinna Katha"—when Bhagavan intercepts the speeding current of His

Discourse with these three Telugu words, meaning, "One little story" all

ears are alert, all hearts are a-quiver. For, the story that follows is a

flash that illumines, a shower that cools, a joke that tickles, a "tablet"

that alleviates, a peep into epic grandeur or pompous absurdity, a poetic

parenthesis, an exhilarating prick, a lilt that enlightens, a sugar-coated

pill of profundity, a disarming repartee, a volley of raillery on religious

rigmarole! It may be a tonic tale of the past or the report of a

contemporary comedy. It may be a thrust on theological disputation or a dear

little dig at some egoistic dignitary.

The Chinna Katha, if only we ponder over its relevance, is an effective

instrument in Bhagavan's educational process. When He is discoursing, these

parables and stories, ever on the wing, hover in flocks in the firmament of

His Love.

 

 

He lets a few fly into our hearts and nestle there, until we fondle and

foster them and make them part of our thought and behaviour patterns. Here

is a charming, fragrant Chinna Katha, for our delectation, meditation and

inspiration…

 

*DESERVE BEFORE DESIRING*

 

Once during the *Sankranti* Festival, Draupadi happened to be in Lord

Krishna's residence. Lord Krishna was enjoying and sharing with them fresh

sugar cane of the season. While cutting a piece of cane, his little finger

got injured. Blood began to ooze out. The queens ran to their apartments and

started frantically searching their wardrobes for a piece of coarse cloth to

bandage the wound. But Draupadi, who was seated at the Lotus Feet of the

Lord, at once tore a piece off her sari and bandaged the wound. The queens

returned with pieces of cloth only to find that the wound had already been

attended to by Draupadi.

 

Years rolled on and Draupadi was being humiliated by Dussasana in the court

of Dhritarashtra at Hastinapur. He was trying to disrobe her. She cried out

in the open assembly for help and prayed to Lord Krishna to come immediately

to her rescue and save her honour. Lord Krishna who was then at Dwaraka

hundreds of miles away, readily responded to her sincere prayer. He shook

the little finger, the self same finger that was bandaged by a piece of

cloth torn from her sari by Draupadi. Lo! Yards and yards of cloth flowed

into the court covering the body of Draupadi. Thus Draupadi's small act of

service and sacrifice brought to her later on, the Lord's Grace and

protection in her great calamity from which none of the her heroic husbands,

the Pandavas, could save her.

 

A good act is a Godly act for which God rewards at the appropriate time.