{"id":4348,"date":"2013-07-13T01:55:22","date_gmt":"2013-07-13T01:55:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost\/?p=4348"},"modified":"2013-07-13T01:55:22","modified_gmt":"2013-07-13T01:55:22","slug":"18-self-reliance-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\/18-self-reliance-vol-02-words-of-long-ago-volume-02","title":{"rendered":"-18_Self-Reliance.htm"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n
\n
\n

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

\n <\/span><\/p>\n


\nSelf-Reliance
\n<\/font>
\n<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\n                    H<\/font><\/span>atim<\/span><\/font> Tai had a great reputation among the Arabs of old for the
\nlavishness of his gifts and alms. <\/font> <\/span><\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\u201cHave you ever met anyone more excellent than
\nyourself?\u201d his friends once asked him. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\u201cYes,\u201d replied Hatim Tai. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\u201cWho was he?\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\u201cOne
\nday I had forty camels sacrificed and I offered a feast to whoever would like
\nto come and share in it. Then I set out with several chiefs to invite guests
\nfrom far and wide. On the way we came across a woodcutter who had just cut a
\nbundle of thorns. This was the way he earned his livelihood. Seeing that he was
\npoor, I asked him why he did not go to the many feasts given by Hatim Tai.
\n\u2018Those who earn their living,\u2019 he answered me, \u2018have no need of the bounty of
\nHatim Tai.\u2019 \u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>Why
\nthen did Hatim Tai declare that the woodcutter was a better man than himself? <\/span><\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>It
\nwas because he thought it nobler to work and to provide for oneself than to
\ngive others gifts which cost no effort or sacrifice and which, moreover,
\ndiscourage them from being self-reliant. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>Of course
\nit is quite natural that friends should give presents to their friends; it is
\ngood that strong arms should come to the help of the poor and the needy; but an
\nable-bodied man should work with his hands, not hold them out for alms. Of
\ncourse this implies no reflection on those who consecrate themselves entirely
\nto the contemplative life and the search for wisdom.  <\/span><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>Though the woodcutter’s conduct was noble, yet
\nit was less so than that of the Persian prince whose story I shall tell you. <\/span>
\n
\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage – 188<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

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

\n\u00a0<\/span>He
\nwas a prince of ancient times and his name was Gushtasp. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>He
\nwas much annoyed that his father did not treat him as heir to the throne, so he
\nleft his native land and wandered to the West. Alone and hungry, he realised
\nthat from then on he would have to work for his living. So he went to the
\nsovereign of the land and said to him: <\/span><\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\u201cI
\nam a skilled writer and I should be happy to be employed as a scribe.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>He
\nwas told to wait for a few days, for no scribes were needed at the moment. But
\nhe was too hungry to wait, so he went to the camel-drivers to ask for work.
\nThey did not need any new helper; however, seeing his dire need, they gave him
\nsomething to eat. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>A
\nlittle further on, Gushtasp stopped at the door of a forge and offered his
\nservices to the smith. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\u201cHere,\u201d said the man to him, \u201cyou can help me
\nto hammer this piece of iron.\u201d And he placed a hammer in Gushtasp’s hands. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>The
\nprince had tremendous strength. He lifted the heavy hammer, brought it down on the
\nanvil and smashed it at the first stroke. The smith was furious and immediately
\nturned him out. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>And
\nso Gushtasp started wandering once more in great distress. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>Whichever way he turned, there was no way in
\nwhich he could show his usefulness. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>At
\nlast he met a farmer working in a cornfield, who took pity on him and gave him
\nfood and shelter. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>One
\nday there came the news that the daughter of the king of Rum was of an age to
\nmarry and that all young men of princely family were invited to the royal banquet.
\nGushtasp decided to go there and sat at table among all the others. Princess
\nKitaban saw him, loved him and gave him a bunch of roses as a token of her
\nfavour. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>The
\nking took a violent dislike for Gushtasp in his poverty. <\/span>
\n
\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage – 189<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

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

\nHe dared not forbid his daughter to marry him, but as soon as they
\nwere married he drove them out of his palace. So they went to live in the heart
\nof the forest and built their hut not far from a river. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>Gushtasp was a great hunter. Each day he would
\ncross the river by boat, catch an elk or a wild ass, give half to the boatman
\nand take the rest home to his wife. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>One
\nday the boatman brought a young man named Mabrin to see Gushtasp. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\u201cMy
\nLord,\u201d said Mabrin, \u201cI wish to marry the second daughter of the king, your
\nwife’s sister, but I cannot unless I kill the wolf who is ravaging the king’s
\nlands. And I do not know how to do it.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\u201cI
\nwill do it for you,\u201d said Gushtasp the hunter. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>He
\nwent out into the desert and when he found the monster, he shot it down with
\ntwo arrows and then cut off its head with his hunting knife. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>The
\nking came to see the dead beast, and in his joy gave his second daughter to
\nMabrin. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>Some time later, the boatman brought another
\nyoung man named Ahrun to see Gushtasp. Ahrun wished to marry the third daughter
\nof the king, but first he had to kill a dragon. Gushtasp promised that he would
\naccomplish this new feat. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>He
\ntook some knives and made them into a ball bristling with sharp points. Then he
\nset out on his quest and found the dragon with fiery breath. He shot many
\narrows at the body of the monster, leaping from side to side to avoid its
\nclaws. Then he fastened the ball of knives to the end of a pike and thrust it
\ndown the dragon’s throat. The dragon closed its jaws and fell. Then the prince
\ndispatched it with his sword. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>Thus Ahrun married the third daughter of the
\nking. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>You will not be surprised
\nto hear that in the course of time such a valiant prince became the king of
\nPersia in succession to his father. It was during the reign of Gushtasp that
\nthe holy prophet Zerdusht, or Zoroaster, taught the Persians faith in <\/span>
\n
\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage – 190<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

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

\n Omazd, Lord
\nof light and sun and fire and of righteousness and justice. <\/span>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>However, you can see that Gushtasp did not immediately
\nfind his place and work in the world. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>He
\ntried many things without success, and even at first incurred the enmity of
\nmany men, for example that of the good smith. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>At
\nlast, however, he gained his true station in life and was able to help others
\nuntil the time came for him to govern them wisely. And it was precisely in
\nhelping others that he was better than the woodcutter of whom we have just
\nspoken; for, according to the story, the woodcutter was content to work for
\nhimself. Gushtasp was also better than the generous Hatim Tai, for instead of
\ngiving from the excess of his wealth, the Persian prince gave the strength of
\nhis arm and even risked his life for the sake of others. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>None is more worthy of respect than one who,
\nrelying on himself, is able by his own effort not only to provide for all his
\nneeds, but to increase the well-being and the prosperity of those around him. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>Respect the father, engineer or woodcutter,
\nwriter or labourer, tradesman, smith or explorer, who by his work, whatever it
\nmay be, earns a good living and increases the well-being of his family. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>Respect the worker who, in order to serve both
\nhis own interests and those of his comrades, joins with them to organise
\nco-operative stores or workshops, or trade-unions which enable each one to
\nassert his rights by raising the powerful voice of the many instead of the weak
\nand pleading voice of an isolated individual. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>These workers’ associations teach workmen to
\nrely on their own strength and to help one another. <\/span>
\n
\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage – 191<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n

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

\n\u00a0<\/span>And
\nyou too, school-children, learn to enrich your intelligence by concentrating on
\nthe task your master gives you. And, while you mount the steps of knowledge as
\nbest you can, learn also to help, when need arises, the friend who is less
\nalert and skilful than yourself. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>In
\nfairy-tales, one has only to utter a word or rub a lamp or wave a wand for
\ngenies to appear and carry people through the air, build palaces in the
\ntwinkling of an eye and cause armies of elephants and horsemen to spring from
\nthe ground. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>But
\npersonal effort brings about still greater marvels: it covers the soil with
\nrich harvests, tames wild beasts, tunnels through mountains, erects dykes and
\nbridges, builds cities, launches ships on the ocean and flying machines in the
\nair; in short it gives more well-being and security to all. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>By
\npersonal effort man becomes more noble, more just, more kind: this is the true
\nprogress.
\n <\/span><\/p>\n

\nPage – 192<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Four   Self-Reliance                       Hatim Tai had a great reputation among the Arabs of old for the lavishness of his gifts and alms. \u00a0\u201cHave…<\/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-4348","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\/4348","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=4348"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4348\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4348"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4348"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4348"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}