Once upon a time in a war between the Devas (demigods) and the Asuras (demons), the former
came out victorious; and puffed up with pride, they assembled together to celebrate their victory.
Brahma wanted to prick the bubble of their ego and pride, and to open their eyes to the fact that
their victory was due to divine grace and not to their own strength and valour.
So Brahma
appeared before them in the guise of a Yaksha (celestial being). On seeing him, Agni (Fire-God)
came to him. When the Yaksha asked Agni as to who he was, the latter proudly answered, "Don't
you know me? I am Agni Deva (Fire-God), the great hero who can reduce to ashes the entire
world in a trice."
Thereupon the Yaksha placed before him a blade of grass and said, "O Fire God!
please burn this blade of grass." Despite all his efforts, the Fire-God could not burn the
blade of grass and he went back humbled.
Next came the Wind-God Vayu and bragged before the Yaksha about his unequalled might in
devastating entire villages, trees, forests etc., in the form of cyclones,etc. The Yaksha smiled and asked Vayu to blow away the blade of grass. With all his might and
herculean effort, the Wind-God could not even shake the blade of grass and had to beat a retreat.
On witnessing the failure, frustration and humiliation of his two mightiest lieutenants, Indra, the
king of the demi-gods himself came forward to .see the Yaksha at close quarters but when he
reached the spot he saw a woman standing in the place of the Yaksha.
He addressed her, "O
Mother! kindly tell me who you are and who is the one who has just vanished from sight." Then
she answered, "I am Uma. The one who was here earlier in the guise of a Yaksha was Brahma,
who came to destroy the highly inflated ego in all of you assembled here. So long as you have
the ego, you cannot have Self-realisation. That is why none of you could recognise Brahma
although he appeared right in front of you. As Indra, you personify the mind which is the leader
of the senses, and which is a bundle of desires. That is why I have given you a vision of
myself as a woman, who is the embodiment of desires."
On hearing these words of Uma, the ego of every demi-god became deflated and in all humility
they prayed to Brahma as follows.
"O Lord! Not even a blade of grass will move without your command, what to speak of the
microcosm and the macrocosm. Without understanding this, some people like us become puffed
up with pride. Bhagavan! What is the use of various kinds of possessions and powers like wealth,
physical strength, intellectual acumen, etc., if one does not have the ability to know you? And
none can know and experience you except through the strength of Bhakti (devotion or love)."
The lesson this episode teaches us is that we are mere tools in the hands of the Almighty and we
should not become egoistic and proud thinking that any success or achievement is due to our
own innate strength. We cannot win God's grace except through Bhakti. And what is Bhakti? It is
but loving God with a pure and selfless heart devoid of ego and pride.
(From the Divine Discourses of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba)
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