The Srikalahasthi Trio: A Journey of Faith

I have a passionate emotional side, which I naturally prefer to keep private. But I overthink things, spending sleepless nights on even the smallest disagreements. Every word of discord stings, no matter where it comes from. Ironically, navigating professional disagreements feels easier than personal disagreements. Perhaps it's because expectations are clearer in professional settings. At home, with my husband, I become this open floodgate, pouring out every thought, worry, every twist and turn of mental maze. He, being a calm soul, often encourages me to embrace differences and reminds me of the story of Srikalahasthi.

Sri Kala hasthi is temple town near Tirupathi in Indian State of AndhraPradesh.  The Srikalahasti’s Temple name is derived from a popular story. The story says that a Sri (spider), a Kala (snake), and an Hasti (elephant) used to worship Lord Shiva in this particular town to attain Moksha (Peace.) Appeased with their unflinching devotion, Lord Shiva gave them a boon that their names be merged with the Vayulinga and called as Sri Kalahasteeswara.

Buckle Up, Story Time!

In the forest, beneath the shade of banyan tree, relied three unlikely devotees:
Sri , a Spider
Kala, a Serpant/Cobra and
Hasti, an Elephant.
Each driven by an unwavering devotion to Lord Shiva, embarked on their unique form of worship.

Sri, with her silken artistry, spun a delicate web to shield the Shiva lingam from the harshness of the sun and rain.
Kala, adorned with glimmering scales, offered precious gems and stones as ornaments to the divine form.
Hasti, strong and stoic, brought fragrant flowers and cool waters of the Swarnamukhi River to bathe the lingam.

However, despite their unwavering dedication, a subtle disharmony began to brew. Each one, proud of their chosen offering, believed that their way was supreme. To Kala (Cobra), Spider’s intricate web and Elephants’s flowers and leaves seemed insignificant compared to his dazzling precious stones.
To Hasti (Elephant), Spiders’ web and Snakes’s gems lacked fragrance compared to his flowers.
They would clean up previous offerings and each worship God in their own way.

The Elephant used to spray the Shiva Lingam with water from its trunk, scattering gems  and removing the webs before decorating with leaves from holy tree. The Cobra used to get angered to see its offerings disrespected and replaced by mere leaves and it used to replace leaves with Rubies. This charade repeated everyday until the Cobra became furious and decided to punish whomever was destroying its offerings. When elephant returned to worship, Cobra slithered up its trunk and injected its venom. In agony the elephant dashed its head on the Lingam to kill the Snake. Snake fell out of the trunk and died from its wounds and elephant scummed to its poison. Caught in the crossfire, Spider web was torn. Tragically, all three perished in the conflict.  

Touched by the pure devotion of all three creatures, Lord Shiva himself intervened. He resurrected all of them and  granted them moksha, liberation from the cycle of life and death. He also merged their souls with his own, forever immortalizing their story in the name of the town - Srikalahasti, which combines Sri (spider), Kala (snake), and Hasti (elephant).

The Kalasthi story is a timeless reminder that the essence of devotion lies in purity of heart, understanding, and acceptance. It encourages us to look beyond appearances and appreciate the diversity of ways in which individuals express their faith. Ultimately, it inspires us to strive for a life of love, tolerance, and connection with all beings.

Learnings !!

Embrace diversity:

The entire story's course would have shifted if the Snake hadn't dismissed the Elephant's offerings as inferior to his gems.

Let's practice accepting our family's preferences in simple settings, like table organization. When multiple people are cooking, let's respect each other's leadership instead of criticizing by saying, "That's not how it's done." (Yes, it can be tough to resist offering instructions when your husband loads the dishwasher differently.) It's time to stop glorifying our own methods as the only correct and perfect way of doing things.

Instead of nitpicking individual work, let's foster a culture of collaboration and mutual support, where we work together towards achieving shared goals. In a professional setting, navigating the thin line between nitpicking and raising the bar is crucial for effective teamwork and growth.

Challenge your own biases:

Let's be mindful of our biases. We often fall into the trap of grouping people based on their gender, religion, region, color, accent, or any other aspect that differs from our own. In doing so, we overlook their unique individuality and make unfair assumptions.

Let's be mindful of our words and avoid making biased statements. Don't hesitate to call out biases, even when cloaked in the guise of "just a joke."

The story may have divine intervention, but in real life, it's up to us to overcome our biases and treat everyone with respect.

Open Communication

Imagine if the Snake in the story had paused before jumping to conclusions. Perhaps a simple question to the Elephant, "Do you truly mean to harm my offering?" could have changed everything.

This highlights the power of open communication and its ability to prevent misunderstandings based on assumptions. While asking openly is crucial, the recipient and approach matter greatly. 

It might be easier in professional settings, where clear communication is expected, compared to personal environments where emotions and unspoken rules can cloud the conversation.
 

If you have any tips to embrace the diversity spill the tea in the comments!

References:

https://srikalahasthitemple.com/history/

https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.389712/page/70/mode/2up.

https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/three_ways_mindfulness_can_make_you_less_biased