In this article in the series of “Catalytic Leadership”, we will see about commitment and how committed leaders would be to the task at hand.
Thiruvalluvar in his Thirukkural couplet says,
தெய்வத்தான் ஆகாது எனினும் முயற்சிதன்
மெய்வருத்தக் கூலி தரும்
— திருக்குறள் (619)
Theivaththaan Aakaadhu Eninum Muyarchi Thann
Meivarutha Kooli Tharum
Meaning, Even when the Gods are not helping and the odds are against, effort with commitment is bound to pay the wages of hard work.
Let’s see a story that brings out the essence of this couplet.
A farmer was working hard in his field though there were no signs of rain. Lord Shiva, wanted to understand why the farmer was working hard in such conditions.
So, Lord Shiva went to the farmer in disguise and asked “Why are you working so hard?”
The farmer replied, “Only if I work now and complete it today, it will help the seeds grow when it rains”
Lord Shiva asked, “But, It doesn’t seem to rain anytime soon!”
The farmer replied, “It will, that’s how it has been in the past. And, I will have to finish my work and that’s my commitment as a farmer…”
Lord Shiva asked, “If it doesn’t rain, won’t the hard work you have done go in vain?”
The farmer replied with confidence, “It won’t! My commitment to the work has its own rewards that cannot be stopped even by the Gods!”
Lord Shiva was taken aback at the confidence and commitment of the farmer and He wanted to understand what the farmer would do if it doesn’t rain!
So, He went to Lord Indran, the Lord of the five elements of nature (Land, Water, Fire, Air and Space) and asked him that He should not send the rains to the farmers’ land for the next few days.
Lord Indra agreed for the Supreme Being, Lord Shiva’s, request but had a caveat, “Lord Shiva, though I am the Lord of the five elements of nature, it is Varunan – the Rain God – who decides when to send the rains”
Lord Shiva then went to Varunan and said to him that He should not send the rains to the farmers’ land for the next few days.
Varunan replied, “Yes Lord Shiva, I will not send the rains, but if the frogs croak continuously I will have to send the rains, that’s the order of nature that I cannot violate”
Lord Shiva then went to the frogs and said they should not croak continuously for the next few days. The frogs agreed but said, “Lord Shiva, we won’t croak as ordered, but if the fireflies are out, we will have to croak continuously, that’s the order of nature”
Lord Shiva finally went to the fireflies and told them that they should not venture out for the next few days. The fireflies agreed and said they won’t venture out for the next few days.
Now that all the checks are in place to stop the rain, Lord Shiva went back.
But that night, it rained heavily in the farmer’s land.
Next day, Lord Shiva was confused how it could have rained despite all the arrangements made.
It upset Him and He went to Varunan and asked why he sent the rains to the farmer’s land despite the orders.
Varunan replied, “I did not send it voluntarily, but had to because the frogs croaked continuously”
Angered by the reply, He went to the frogs and asked why they croaked despite the orders. The frogs replied, “We croaked because the fireflies were out”
Furious by the reply, He went to the fireflies and questioned why they were out despite His orders. The fireflies promised that they did not venture out.
Lord Shiva then visualized what happened the previous day.
It was close to the end of the day and it was getting dark. The farmer had some more work in the field to finish, so he lit up a flame torch made of wood, and continued even after sunset using that torch.
Close to the completion of the work, the torch was almost getting burnt out.. To brighten up he blew the firewood and continued. That made some sparks fly out of the wood. He continued doing that till the work was done and the sparks flew in every direction.
The frogs seeing this thought that the sparks were fireflies and started croaking continuously. As a result the rain started pouring down.
Lord Shiva was happy about the farmer’s commitment and his play proved it to the world that even the Gods cannot stop the benefits of a work done with commitment.
Like the farmer in the story, the commitment of the true leaders remains unshaken regardless of the hurdles or setbacks they face. Their continued effort is what takes their team and the organization to extraordinary heights.
Image Credits: Pixabay
Nice article Prabhukeep going