{"id":4344,"date":"2013-07-13T01:55:20","date_gmt":"2013-07-13T01:55:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost\/?p=4344"},"modified":"2013-07-13T01:55:20","modified_gmt":"2013-07-13T01:55:20","slug":"26-apendix-the-giver-vol-02-words-of-long-ago-volume-02","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/02-works-of-the-mother\/01-cwmce\/02-words-of-long-ago-volume-02\/26-apendix-the-giver-vol-02-words-of-long-ago-volume-02","title":{"rendered":"-26_Apendix_The Giver.htm"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n
\n
\n


\nAppendix<\/font><\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Stories
\nnot published in previous editions of\u00a0
\n<\/span>Tales of All Times<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\n


\nTwelve <\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n


\nThe Giver
\n<\/font> <\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

\n                R<\/font><\/span>antideva who was a king, became a hermit in the forest. He had
\ngiven his wealth to the poor and lived a simple life in the solitude of the jungle.
\nHe and his family had only the bare necessities of life. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>One
\nday, after a fast of forty-eight hours, a light meal of rice with milk and
\nsugar was prepared for him. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>A
\npoor Brahmin came up to the door of the hut and asked for food. Rantideva gave
\nhim half of his rice. Then came a Sudra begging for help and Rantideva gave him
\nhalf of what remained. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Then he heard a dog barking; the poor beast
\nseemed to be starving. Rantideva gave him what was left. Last of all came a
\nPariah who stopped at the hermit’s door and asked for help. Rantideva gave him
\nthe milk and the sugar, and continued to fast. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Then came four gods who said to him: <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u201cIt
\nwas to us, Rantideva, that you gave food, for we assumed the forms of a
\nBrahmin, a Sudra, a dog and a poor outcaste. You were good to us all and we
\npraise you for your loving thoughts.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>A
\nkind heart treats all men and even animals as members of one family, one
\nhumanity.  <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Do
\nwe not meet people every day who know less than we do? It is in our power to
\ntell them things which may be useful on matters such as food, clothing,
\nexercise, work and recreation. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>It
\nis our duty to give them knowledge as it is our duty to give bread to the
\nhungry. <\/span>
\n
\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage – 239<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

<\/span><\/div>\n

\u00a0<\/span>An ignorant
\nman does harm to himself and he does harm to those around him, just as the bad
\nflute-player made the Brahmin suffer. Did you ever hear how that happened? <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>One
\nday a Brahmin was walking through the countryside when he was surprised to hear
\na voice coming from a pipal<\/span>-tree. The voice spoke to
\nhim several times bidding him not to bathe in a tank, not to perform his
\nevening worship, not to eat and not to go away. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>So
\nhe cried out: <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u201cWho are you to forbid me to do things which
\nhave no harm in them?\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>The
\nvoice from the pipal<\/span>-tree replied: <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u201cI
\nam a Brahma-Rakshasa. In my last life I was a Brahmin and very learned in the
\nart of music, but I was unwilling to impart my learning to others. I kept my
\nknowledge to myself. And now I am doomed to be a Brahma-Rakshasa and every day
\nI have to listen to a piper, and I cannot tell you how badly he plays. It is
\nterrible. How often I have wished I could come out of the tree, snatch away his
\ninstrument and show him how to use it, where to place his fingers, how to use
\nhis breath. But it is not possible and I am forced to hear his awful tunes…\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>I
\ncannot tell you the rest of the story here, except to add that fortunately a
\nway was found to rescue him from his torment. But you see how miserable we can
\nbe as a result of the bad work, the bad art, the bad music of people around us.  <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>If
\na man is hungry, what is the only thing that will relieve him? Food. If a man
\nis thirsty, what will relieve him? Water. If a man is ignorant, what is the
\nonly thing that will help him? Knowledge. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>It
\nis good to give bread to the hungry, water to the thirsty, knowledge to the
\nignorant. <\/span>
\n
\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage – 240<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

<\/span><\/div>\n

\u00a0<\/span>The
\nfive sons of Pandu<\/span>, the five noble Pandavas<\/span>, were staying in a palace which at first sight
\nseemed beautiful and comfortable. But it had been built by an enemy, Purochana<\/span>, and he had made the floors and the walls and the
\nroofs of very inflammable material; he intended to set fire to it one night
\nwhile the Pandavas<\/span> were asleep, so as to be rid of
\nthe five princes whom he hated. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Such
\nwas his villainy. For this wicked purpose, he made use of his skill in building
\nand his cleverness in plotting. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>One
\nday a very skilful miner came to the palace. He said secretly to the princes: <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u201cOne of your friends sends me here to serve
\nyou. I am a miner. Tell me how I can help you. I know for sure that your enemy,
\nPurochana<\/span> himself, will try to burn you all alive in
\nthis house.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Then the eldest of the Pandavas<\/span>
\nsaid to the miner: <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u201cUse your skill in mining, good sir, to make
\nus an underground passage so that even if the gates are guarded we may escape,
\nfor we shall get away through the secret passage dug by your spade and made
\npassable by your art.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>In
\nthe floor at the very centre of the palace the miner began to dig. The Pandavas<\/span> kept planks ready to place over the hole and
\ncovered the planks with carpets whenever Purochana<\/span>
\ncame near. So the deceiver was deceived. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>At
\nlast the five princes were informed that the passage was ready. It led from the
\nhouse to a lovely spot in the forest. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>One
\nnight the princes set fire to the palace and then with their mother Kunti<\/span>, they made their escape through the underground
\npassage. It was dark but safe. When strong Bhima<\/span>
\nnoticed that his companions were not fleeing fast enough, he put his mother on
\nhis shoulders, took two of his brothers on his hips and the other two under his
\narms, and with this burden ran like a wind that cannot be stopped, away from
\nthe deadly fire. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Purochana’s<\/span> trick had been foiled by the good miner’s
\nskill. The miner was not content merely to dig the ground to discover <\/span>
\n
\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage – 241<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

<\/span><\/div>\n

treasures for himself alone; he dug for others. He helped others
\nwith his knowledge; he shared his science. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Even the greatest people on earth does not
\nknow everything. We should learn from one another, man from man, nation from
\nnation, one part of the world from another; each nation, each man should be
\nglad to teach what he knows. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>The
\npeoples of the West bring to the East their knowledge of science, technology,
\neconomics, etc. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>From all time the peoples of the East have
\ngiven to the West their philosophical and ethical knowledge. Thus India has
\ngiven to other countries the knowledge contained in the Vedas and the teachings
\nof the Buddha on the Noble Path as well as in all her sacred books. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Even
\na child can give knowledge. One child can teach the alphabet to another. One
\nchild can teach another how to do simple arithmetic, or to tell the North from
\nthe South, the East from the West, or to tie a knot, to play a game, to sow a
\nseed, etc. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>We
\ncan all be givers. A holy book says, \u201cIt is more blessed to give than to
\nreceive.\u201d <\/span>
\n
\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage – 242<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Appendix   Stories not published in previous editions of\u00a0 Tales of All Times   Twelve   The Giver                   Rantideva who was a king,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[123],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4344","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-02-words-of-long-ago-volume-02","wpcat-123-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4344","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4344"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4344\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4344"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4344"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4344"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}