Ecotales

Saved by a Plant
The Cedar Tree
Born from Ash
Rain Man
The Red Silk Cotton
When Animals and Birds were Created

Rain Man

Luis Fernandez

Not even the gods can withhold success from a man who works hard for it, suggests this folk tale from Nepal.
Mahadeva, walking with Parvati past a row of parched fields, saw a solitary farmer sowing seeds in his fields.
"How do you expect those seeds to sprout when there's no rain?" asked Mahadeva.
"It'll rain tonight," said the farmer.
"I don't think so," said Mahadeva, looking up at the cloudless sky.
"It will," said the farmer.
"It won't," said the god.
"We'll see who's right, tonight," said the man and resumed his work.
Mahadeva, annoyed that a mortal should take his views so lightly, went to Indra, Lord of Rain, and requested him not to send rain to earth that night.
"I won't," said Indra. "But if the frogs start croaking then I'll be helpless.

I'll have to send rain."
Mahadeva requested the frogs not to croak that night.
"We won't," said the frogs. "But if the fireflies start flashing their lights then we will be compelled to croak."
Mahadeva requested the fireflies not to flash their lights that night and they promised not to.
However, when night fell, it started raining. Mahadeva was very angry and went to investigate.
"The frogs started croaking," explained Indra. "I had to send rain."
"The fireflies started flashing their lights," said the frogs. "So we were compelled to croak."
But the fireflies denied they had flashed their lights.
"But they did!" insisted the frogs. "There's one of them sheltering under that tree right now."
When Mahadeva went closer to the tree he saw the farmer there. The man had a firebrand in his hand and the tip was glowing. Mahadeva guessed what had happened: the farmer had gone to his field to plant more seeds and had taken a lighted firebrand with him to help him see in the dark. The fire had gone out and the glowing tip of the firebrand had made the frogs think that the fireflies were flashing their lights.
Mahadeva bowed to the farmer in acknowledgement of defeat and went back to Kailash to tell Parvati how he had been bested by a mortal.

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Last updated on :8/26/2003

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User's Comments

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Rajee: Fantastic !!!! I can well imagine the children's rapt attention to the teller of this story. Thanx.

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vidya: Good Story. Give more such stories.

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Lavar: I was really confused, and this answered all my questions.

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