A HINDU LEGEND

Usually, my legend of the month is about a plant that blooms during that same month. This time, however, I’m going to tell you a very old Hindu legend. But I believe that its philosophycal meaning will nevertheless bring some colour and beauty to our everyday life.

According to that legend, there was once a time when all men were gods. But they misused so much their divinity that Brahma, the gods' Lord, decided to take the divine power from them and hide it in a place where it would be impossible for them to find it. The problem was, however, where to find such a hiding place.

He then called up a meeting with the minor gods to solve this problem, and they proposed that the divinity of man should be buried deep into the earth. But Brahma replied that would not be enough, because man would dig the earth and find it.

Then the gods suggested that the divinity be th rown deep into the sea. Again Brahma replied that sooner or later man would explore the sea depths and would find it and take it again.

The minor gods said they did not know where to hide it because it did not seem that a hiding place could ever exist on earth or in the sea that man would not be able to reach one day.

Brahma then said: "Look what we will do with the divinity of man: we will hide it deep in himself because this is the only place where he will never think of looking for it."

And since that time, so goes the legend, man went round the world, explored it, climbed mountains and digged holes, dived into the oceans, always looking for something that is deep inside himself.

© Dulce Rodrigues

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