LOVE FOR PARENTS
The Story of Shravan Kumar
Once upon a time, there was a generous boy called Shravan Kumar. Both his mother and father were blind. This meant
that he had to do all the chores and work, but he still loved and was devoted to his parents. One day his parents
expressed their will to go on a pilgrimage in these last days. Shravan Kumar was determined to fulfil his parents’ wish.
He built a carriage which consisted of two baskets tied by 3 ropes to a rod, which would be used to carry the baskets.
He put his parents in the baskets, mother in one and father in the other, and held the rod on his shoulders. Then he
went, with his parents, on a pilgrimage. On the way, his parents wanted some water, so Shravan Kumar stopped to fill a
bucket of water for them from a river. At the same time, there was a King by the name of Dashrath hunting in the forest
and when he heard the sound of water in the river, he thought he had heard an animal so he shot an arrow.
Unfortunately, it was not an animal but Shravan Kumar. The arrow hit Shravan Kumar and he was close to death.
When Dashrath realized what he had done he felt very sorry and asked Shravan Kumar what he could do to help ease
the pain. In his last breaths, Shravan Kumar recited his story to Dahsrath and begged him to give his parents water.
Dashrath filled up water and gave it to the blind parents. Then he told them what had happened and asked for
forgiveness. On hearing what had happened both parents were full of sorrow and cursed Dashrath that he would also
die because of the loss of a son. The parents then drowned themselves in the same river.
Moral: Always respect and care for your elders like Shravan Kumar and don’t be afraid to admit your mistakes like
Dashrath.
LOVE FOR FRIENDS
Here’s looking at few anecdotes that are cherished as timeless examples of amity from Indian mythology.
Krishna-Sudama
An eternal bond of friendship exhibiting a flourishing tie, knowing no boundaries of caste, creed or social status is that
of Krishna and Sudama. It is said that both were best of friends, despite a huge socio-economic chasm that divided
society at the time. It is believed that once Sudama fighting grave poverty, upon insistence of his wife so to combat
penury, travelled all the way to Dwarka carrying a humble present for Lord Krishna. This gesture was more of a
memento to honor the immortal bond that the two shared. Sudama’s wife packed a small amount of rice for his beloved
friend despite not having enough food to feed her own children. Lord Krishna was delighted to meet his childhood
friend. He savored the rice serving, while calling it the sweetest meal he ever had.
Krishna-Arjun
Touted primarily as a ‘teacher-disciple’ relationship, their bond is famous for its friend-philosopher-guide principle and
eternal devotion that Arjuna exhibited towards their divine association. Legends are replete with their tales. The verse
between them at the battle field forms the powerful narrative of Srimad Bhagvad Gita. Their relationship also teaches
us that mentorship and friendship go hand in hand.
Draupadi-Krishna
Legendary tales reveal that Draupadi and Krishna’s friendship had the eternal bond of ‘sakha’ and ‘sakhi’ at its
essence. Many legends see the origins of Rakshabandhan in this tale of friendship and respect. According to beliefs,
Krishna hurt his finger, when he threw the Sudarshan Chakra at Shishupal. Looking at this, Draupadi took a piece from
her sari and tied it around Krishna’s finger to prevent it from bleeding. Touched by such gesture, Krishna took the vow
of protecting Draupadi for all times to come.
LOVE FOR SPOUSE/PARTNER
History is filled with love stories that have been recorded through the ages and surprisingly nothing much has changed.
The love these people had for their special someone might have been mere gossip in their day but it survived time in
the form of changing the course of history and leaving monuments in memory of one another.
Baji Rao and Mastani
Having inspired the upcoming film starring Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone, the story of Peshwa Baji Rao is not
complete without his absolute bewitchment (in a good way) by Mastani. Her origins are unconfirmed as are most facts
in Indian history. Some believed she was a Hyderabadi princess while others thought of her as a court dancer. Despite
opposition from his clan, he married her for who she was. Mastani committed ritual suicide after he died in battle.
Romeo and Juliet
Probably the most famous love story of all was written by the celebrated English poet and playwright William
Shakespeare sometime in the 1590s. Shakespeare’s story of the tragic love between Romeo and Juliet is probably based
on Arthur Brooke’s poem The Tragical History of Romeus and Juliet which was published in the 1560s. The latter is
believed to be an English translation of a novella of Italian writer Matteo Bandello. But even his Romeo and Juliet are
not original. The story reveals a major influence of ancient tragic love stories, most notably of the Roman story of
Pyramus and Thisbe whose families despise each other and prevent the lovers to be together. Just like Pyramus kills
himself, falsely believing that Thisbe is dead, Romeo also commits suicide for mistakenly believing that Juliet is dead.
Thisbe follows her lover in death upon discovering his dead body which is exactly what Juliet does when she finds
Romeo dead. Both Thisbe and Juliet stab themselves but Romeo, unlike Pyramus who stabs himself with his sword,
drinks poison.
Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal
Their names may largely be unfamiliar to most people in the West, but their love produced a monument that is famous
all over the world – the Taj Mahal. Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal were a Mughal Royal couple who shared a loving
marriage until Mumtaz died while giving birth to their 14th child. Shah Jahan was devastated by his wife’s death and
plunged into a deep grief that affected him both emotionally and physically. But his grief inspired him to build one of
the world’s greatest architectural masterpieces to serve as the final resting place of his beloved wife. Shortly after
completing the Taj Mahal, Shah got ill and was overthrown by his eldest son. He spent the rest of his life in house
arrest and was buried next to his wife. The legend has it that he planned to build an exact copy of the Taj Mahal in
black marble on the opposite bank of the river Yamuna, but the works never started.
