|
Among the noblest in the land That man I honour and revere Who, without favour, without fear, In the great city dares to stand The friend of every friendless beast - Longfellow Tiruvarur
is a small town near Tanjore, in the state of Tamilnadu in South India. Many
kings of the Chola dynasty made this town their capital and ruled there.
One of them
who went by the name of Manu Needhi Chola
(205 BC to 161 BC) - Manu, the Righteous-
was the most illustrious of them. He made no distinction between men and
animals. He treated them all alike and dealt impartial justice to them. So all
those that were under the rule of this noble king, human beings as well as
animals, lived peacefully and happily. For many
years, this good king had not been blessed with a son. He worshipped God and
prayed to Him in the hope that He would grant him a son. At last his
prayers were answered. The son that was born
was named Vithi Vidangan. He grew up in fear of God and walked in the footsteps
of his royal father. He respected the subjects of his father, high and low. He
loved animals as dearly as if they were his own brothers and sisters. He treated
them all with as much tenderness and affection as his own father showed to them.
One day young Vithi Vidangan started in his chariot to
visit the temple of the city and offer prayers to God. On the way, a calf was
caught in the wheels of the chariot and killed on the spot.
The cow, the mother of the dead calf, missing her calf, ran about in search of it and at last came to the spot where it lay dead. When she saw her young one lying dead, she began to show signs of the deepest grief. Every one there was moved to tears at her grief. Only for a short time, however, the cow stood there. Then she went to the palace of the king where there was a bell with a rope attached. The cow pulled the rope with her mouth and the bell rang. Now this bell was known as the Bell of Justice. It was rung by any person who had some trouble or complaint to place before the king. The king heard the bell. He knew at once that there was some one with a complaint to make. The king hastened to the palace-gate to learn who it was. What was his wonder when he saw, that instead of a man or woman or a child, there stood a cow with the end of the rope in her mouth and tears streaming from her eyes! 
A minister of the king had seen what had
happened to the calf. He told the king the sad tale of the death of the calf and
how it had happened through a most unfortunate accident. The king
almost fell in a swoon when he learnt that his own son was the cause of the
death of the calf. His grief know no bounds. He tore his hair in extreme sorrow
and cried, 'Alas, alas, is not the cow our most beloved friend? Is not
killing a calf as much a crime as killing one's own brother or sister? For the
cow is man's foster-mother. Does she not also nourish many a motherless child
and many a sick person with her sweet milk? Is such a kind creature to suffer
like this? Is not her child as dear to her as a man's child is to him? Alas,
alas, what can I do to heal the bleeding broken heart of the mother?'
The king
thought for a while and came to the conclusion that this too was a case in which
he must be absolutely just; the law of the land then was that a life had to be
paid for with a life. He then called a minister and ordered him to kill the
prince under the wheels of the same chariot which ran over the calf.
The
minister was stricken with horror at the command of the king, but duty meant
obedience. As he was unwilling to disobey the king and as he at the same time
could not bring himself to take away the life of the prince, he went away and
killed himself. The news of
the death of the minister reached the king. He immediately ordered the chariot
to be brought. He rode in it himself to the spot where the calf had met with its
death, and there put an end to the life of his own son by driving the chariot
over him. Immediately
after, the king drew his sword and was about to plunge it into his own heart,
when lo! there appeared a vision of wonderful brightness and a voice spoke and
said, 'Great and good king, do not kill yourself. I admire your love for all
living things. It was I that brought about the death of the calf. I wanted to
show to the world your great nobility, your love and kindness to animals. I am
indeed pleased with you. Go in peace. The minister and your son have come back
to life to greet you. Continue to be the same lover of animals as you always
have been.' Then the vision disappeared. The king
returned to his palace to find his son, his minister, the calf and the mother
cow, all happy. Boys and
Girls! Chola, the
Just, established righteousness in his kingdom by inflicting the extreme
sentence of death on his own son for having accidentally caused the death of a
calf. But what do we see now? Numberless calves die of starvation in the
streets. After they are dead their skins are stuffed and placed before the cows
and the cows are milked. Isn't this cruel and heartless ? **** **** |
Additional Information of Interest
Click
here
for interesting historical information on this noble king, Manu Needhi Chola,
who was born in the year 205 BC. He ruled the Chola kingdom in South India,
along with a part of Sri Lanka from the years 235 BC to 161 BC (i.e. more than
2000 years ago).
Click
here
for interesting information about the town of Tiruvarur and its exact location.
nice post
ReplyDeleteV gud....
ReplyDeleteV should become more empathic towards everything surrounded us
ReplyDeleteGood story to motivate children
ReplyDeleteYaaa
ReplyDeleteReally great of my city
ReplyDeleteNice story
ReplyDeleteWe should teach everyone to shun meat and become a pure vegetarian.
ReplyDelete