Calm Over Might
In the following story, two Hindu gods, Vayu and Surya argue about their strengths. The story criticises the tendency of humans to triumph by might and force rather than a more balanced and thoughtful approach to life.
One day, the Sun God (Surya) and the Wind God (Vayu) had an argument about who is greater. Each argued that he is mightier than the other. While they were arguing, they happened to notice a traveller walking in the forest on Earth. As was customary at that time, he was wearing an upper cloth to cover his body. They decided to use the traveller as a subject to show their prowess and came to an agreement that whosoever can make him remove his upper cloth would win.
Vayu decided to try first. Surya accepted and disappeared behind the clouds to give way to Vayu.Vayu started blowing strongly, with fierce force. He also summoned his friend, the Rain God Varuna, to his aid and they started gathering the clouds and making rumbling noises. The traveller got scared of the strong winds and started to shiver as it was getting wet and cold. The more Vayu tried to blow the cloth out by force, the closer the traveller held the cloth to his body in an attempt to protect himself from the wind and cold.
Vayu’s efforts appeared fruitless, so Surya came out of the clouds and started to shine to drive the cold away. As he shone, the atmosphere became hotter and hotter. The traveller started to perspire and tried to take cover under some trees. Finally, he could not bear the heat and took away the cloth from his body to cool off for a bit.
In life, many people try to get their work done by being loud and aggressive. This behaviour is similar to that of Vayu, who tried to force his way by showing his muscle power, but that didn’t have the desired effect. Surya, on the other hand, stayed calm and used the power within him to get the desired effect. It is not necessary to achieve things by using force or might. Instead, one needs to use his/her mind to attain one’s goals in a calm manner.
