A Life Story by Osho




Once upon a time, there was a king.

Great and brilliant, his fame spread to all corners of his kingdom.


He owned an elephant.

A powerful giant, he had helped the king win many a battle.

It was said that when he roared, the enemy lines broke off in awe and fear. He was a ferocious war machine who was very loyal to his master.

So, the king was quite fond of him and created special facilities for his care and comfort.


As time passed and seasons changed, the once mighty titan grew old.

He shrunk in size, got wrinkles all over and lost his famed strength.

It was the wheel of life churning fast.


One day, it so happened that he happened to slip into a mean pool of mud.

He struggled but he had grown so weak that he couldn't lift himself up.


The king immediately rushed to the site to rescue his old comrade.

Many attempts were made to get the elephant out of the brown slush but to no avail.

He only sank deeper and deeper.

His end seemed to be drawing nearer.


Suddenly, an idea flashed across the king's mind.

He quickly dispatched a messenger to get the animal's trainer from the next village.


Lean and tall, the mahout arrived.

He glanced at his student, stuck in muck and smiled.

He took out his bugle and started playing a stirring piece of martial music.

This was what had inspired the elephant to win many a fight in the toughest of circumstances.

As he listened to the beat, he felt a rush of adrenalin in his body.

He remembered his earlier glorious self.


He stirred, roared majestically and within no time, he pulled himself out of the sludge.

At last, he was free.


The king walked up to the beast and patted him affectionately.

He asked the mahout to play the bugle once more.

The trainer looked at him surprisingly.

'Why now, your majesty?'

The king gazed at the orange sun which was about to set.

'It's not only animals. Human beings too forget often who they are. We all need a reminder.'

'Yes, your honor.'


An energetic pulse of rousing war music echoed in the surroundings.

The king embraced the elephant lovingly.

Tears of joy erupted from his eyes.

 

He lifted his hands towards the boundless sky.

He too had stepped out of the pool of human fragility.


***


A Story of Freedom


Location: India

Comments

  1. Anonymous3 June 2023 at 09:10

    So true….happens to us all the time….in most cases we have our children who play the role of mahaut and their voice’s…bugle

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Manish Sharma6 June 2023 at 17:56

      That's an interesting insight Manish.

      Our children as Mahouts.

      This brings me to the conclusion that we all need a Mahout during tough times who can inspire us to get out of the muck of our problems.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous11 June 2023 at 10:08

      Very true. First you try to shape your future by givings wings to your children and then the glory of their flight brings you peace, and contentment

      Delete
    3. Manish Sharma11 June 2023 at 11:39

      Yes. It's an amazing exchange of roles!

      Delete
  2. Anonymous6 June 2023 at 14:59

    Some magic in this story, power to heal a dying soul, to smoothened the wrinkled foreheads. Whatsoever the age, a mahout can transform the life.

    Very inspirational story, loved reading it again and again.

    --Shalini

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Manish Sharma6 June 2023 at 17:56

      Yes Shalini. All we need is an anchor. All we need is a reminder.

      Delete
  3. Anonymous7 June 2023 at 21:08

    Lovely story

    ReplyDelete

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