All the second-rung gods and goddesses, worth their boons, had gathered for a marathon meet. Brahma had been roped in to preside over as he had the least of bother from earthlings seeking boons, waivers, write offs with or without haircuts.
With no other option but to accept, he brought along Chitragupta and Yamadharmaraj, in case of an out of the box solution might be called for.
Though the presence of Yamadharmaraj was not that essential, he did not want to churn, not even a pot of controversy. He did not know what would happen.
This starter shook the legs of the very seat he was sitting on. Brahma was asked why he could not have curbed these tendencies during creation? Should they take it as a deliberate attempt to put them all in trouble? They thought since Brahma was the behind-the-scenes causative; he might have twisted the DNA yarn a bit differently.
Brahma regretted his decision to chair the meeting. This curve ball he didn't expect and sat defenseless. Glancing aside, he saw Chitragupta nodding his head after Yamadharmaraj whispered something.
Brahma looked a little amused and wondered whether they are trying to bury the hatchet or holding a consultation in the sidelines! His doubt got automatically cleared when Chitragupta passed on a note, under the table. As he started reading, Brahma broke into a wide grin and patted himself for bringing along these two.
Brahma was pretty impressed with the points for counterattack: (a) I don't get to sport avatars like the others (b) Even if I had, I would not have gone about distributing boons so freely, as I don't get easily convinced and (c) Most of the rishis wrote stacks of slokas and such things only about them. and not on me. With this timely input, he was able to fire at least a few salvos, himself.
It was a blunder to give insights to rishis. What they went about doing was writing slokas to praise and pry loose boons. You were all happy when extolled extensively and granted boons, without wasting time, by the baskets.
Why the earthlings would not almost demand the same treatment as they had studied these scriptures, detailing the boons granted to many bad apples?
At present they have got accustomed to regimes of freebies. Now, all of you have issues with the unprecedented clamour for more from these boon seekers rather boon hunters.
In various avatars, did I go about seeking such characters doing penance, tapas and gladly granting boons without forethought. Some recipients turned them into a twin edged sword, no surprise there!
Brahma had the satisfaction of a hit on the target.
Think about it like this. Why all the above issues - wanting more and threatening with swords - happened or happening? Certainly, not because of my doing! Brahma scored a second hit.
In stunned silence, the entire gathering of gods and goddesses started shaking heads, fidgeting fingers and then sat like statues.
To give them time to contemplate, Chitragupta suggested a break.
As expected, the second attack was on the chants and rishis. The collective assembly pointed out the times of rishis had come and gone long, long back.
Looking at his clue-sheet, Brahma counter-pointed out - though rishis have become an extinct species, the hymns still exist. Of course, after heaping praises on themselves, they have kindly included your name also, though as a footnote. Not only that, stepping on the shoulders of the gullible devotees, a mushroom growth of avatars and gurus are already doing hectic business, making up their own hymns. Is it not?
Again, their missile going off target, the assembly then came up with the question how could we avoid donning avatars meant to mingle, suffer with and to impart bhakti and morality to the populous?
Brahma had already glimpsed at the near enough answer but to add a bit of drama, he waited a few ticks. In the meanwhile, the assembly sensed the smell of victory that was about to pervade the chamber.
Simple. If you all had curbed the desire to use the power of boons, no need for many avatars, many rishis and many sacred texts. The assembly, after hearing Brahma's reply, took a step back to work out a face-saving counter argument.
How could we hold powers without exercising them? Oh Brahma, don't you know only a hunter has to go after a pretty but not the other way around?
Undaunted, Brahma replied, "That was precisely the reason I said all of you all should have curbed the desire to exhibit the vested powers. I quote from your own example, the moment a prey senses the presence of a hunter, it escapes. The hunter need not even hint his killing skills."
Brahma admired Chitragupta's this quick retort, hurriedly written and passed on in time. The assembly lost one more missile that strayed way off target.
How do we overcome this?
Anticipating this very question, the duo had drafted a succinct answer. Brahma liked the manner in which they had managed to bring the spotlight on to him. Beaming with pride, he cast all his eyes on the duo in acknowledgement. While Chitragupta took it as a normal gesture, Yamadharmaj experienced a chilling effect, and worried that normalcy had not yet returned among them.
Brahma continued, after going through the note, " Controlling the desire to grant boons might give you all the feeling of deserting the devotees. Had it not made the devotees to think, in simple terms, ring the bell and bag the boon? There are no easy-way or hard-way but only one way - that is my way. Meditation upon meditation."
Truly at this point, the assembly looked thoroughly confused and became silent by this unexpected prescription. They started to wonder whether it was a mistake to invite Brahma to chair the meeting or allowing his minions to attend the proceedings. They knew Brahma's penchant for meditation and suspected the hands of the minions for giving that clue.
A weak voice asked, "OK. Still, we would be disturbed by the clamour of boon seekers. Then what is the use of your suggestion?"
Brahma with a benign smile plastered all over the face said, " That is why the suggestion was for meditation upon meditation. The first one is to shut down the disturbance and the second one is aimed at reaching the goal."
Noticing the frantic signals from Chitragupta, Brahma got the message and promptly declared the meeting closed. Before the assembled members could realise, the entourage vacated the chamber.
During his meditation, Brahma could not exclude the glow of satisfaction about the duo's counter points and seeding of the idea for a double dose meditative course turned out to be nothing short of a master stroke. Unable to continue, Brahma decided that the interruption in itself was a process in mediation.
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