One upon a time in Tibet - Part 2
Continued from my earlier blog: Once upon a time in Tibet - Part 1
Photo by 和 平 on Unsplash
The journey was tough indeed, tougher than the King and his men had anticipated. Harsh winds coupled with snowstorms made life difficult for the travelers. There was no proper road carved out. The path was strewn with rocks and sharp stones, making traveling slow and tedious. Every now and then there were attacks by wild beasts which took a heavy toll on the group.
The people grunted and complained, but the cruel King’s guards prodded them along and did not allow them a single moment of rest. Poor Dorje who probably was carrying the heaviest load of all, uttered not a single word of protest. He rarely spoke to anyone for fear that he might divulge his secret and get caught by the King. But every now and then he stopped to ensure that his grandpa was fine.
As the journey went by the weather became colder and the terrain became harsher. Progress was very slow, as people plodded along inch by inch. Many people, though wearing protective clothing were unprepared for this weather and soon started succumbing to the extreme cold. Some just dropped due to sheer exhaustion and were unable to move further. They were just left for dead as the cruel king marched on, paying little heed to their suffering.
Dorje too was finding the going very difficult, as was evident from his heavy and labored breathing and slow progress. Sangye knew that Dorje was finding it difficult in the biting weather. But experience made him prepared for this kind of situation. He gave Dorje an elixir made of Yak’s milk and some special mountain herbs. This drink produced ample body heat and helped Dorje sustain himself in the extreme weather. Thus, Dorje was able to survive the cold weather thanks to the foresight of his grandfather.
Now in the course of their journey, they had to cross a large frozen lake. As they were crossing, the King’s young son who was playing with his small knife stepped on a patch of thin ice which cracked under impact. With a scream, the boy fell in the icy water. Thankfully, the guards managed to rescue the young prince but were unable to retrieve the knife which sank to the bottom.
The King was happy that his son was saved. But his son, pampered, arrogant and spoilt like his father was upset over the loss of his knife and told his father to bring it back at any cost. The King, eager to placate his son, ordered his guards to dive under the ice and bring back the sword. His ministers tried to talk him out of this foolish demand, but the King would have none of it. The knife was a family heirloom, he said. Therefore, it had to be retrieved at any cost.
Many strong men were forced into this task, and none returned alive. Some were killed by shock and hypothermia on contact with the icy cold water, while some simply could not make it all the way to the bottom and drowned. But the cruel King paid no heed and kept on forcing more men to do this task, with the same tragic result. Dorje knew it would be his turn soon. He could not refuse, as he knew the King’s men would put him to death if he did. But he also knew that accepting this task was tantamount to suicide. What hope did he have of success in a task in which many able bodied men had failed? There seemed to be no way out. More than anything happening to him, he was worried about what was to happen to his Grandpa when he was gone. He told Sangye all about it.
Sangye listened gravely. “Ah! This foolish King will sacrifice more and more people for his useless quest. We must act soon. Dorje, you go ahead and volunteer to dive. But before that, do exactly as I say.”, he said.
“First find out the depth of the lake. It would be foolhardy to dive inside without finding out the depth you need to dive to. Take this stone and tie a long rope around it. Before you dive, lower the rope with the stone at the end in the water and let it go. Observe the length of the rope used before the stone hits the bottom. The depth of the lake will be near enough to the length of the rope submerged. Prepare an air-bag for breathing underwater accordingly.”, Sangye instructed.
“Take a medium sized yak skin pouch and stitch it completely shut in all directions to make it air-tight. Then make a small perforation at any corner and insert this small leather pipe into it. Seal the pipe at the outer end and make sure no air escapes. This bag will be your air reservoir should you run out of air when you dive deep down. When you need to breathe underwater, break the outer seal of the pipe and suck in the air inside. Take care to not let water inside the pipe. Use it sparingly, only when you need it and ensure that this bag does not tear.”, Sangye instructed.
Dorje complied and did all that his grandfather instructed. When he was done, he showed the yak-skin bag to Sangye who approved it after a careful and thorough inspection. The old man then handed a small palm sized stone to Dorje.
“What is it grandpa?”, Dorje asked.
“This is a magnet. When you reach the bottom, there won’t be much light and you will waste precious time and breath in searching about the bed. Instead, hover this stone over the bed a couple of times. The knife blade will get attracted to the magnet and attach itself to it, saving you the trouble to search for it underwater.”
Dorje then approached the King and volunteered to dive. The King was surprised to see someone actually volunteer for this deadly task, when all other people were actually being coerced into it. He readily accepted. Dorje then did exactly like his grandfather told him to. The elixir he took earlier protected him from the biting cold. He was able to sustain himself underwater thanks to the airtight Yak-skin bag. And when he reached the bottom, he was able to locate the knife without much trouble thanks to the magnet.
Dorje soon returned with the prince’s knife. The King was overjoyed and rewarded Dorje with a hundred gold coins. And once again, Dorje was saved thanks to his grandfather’s foresight and preparedness.
And they marched on.
And each time, they were faced with one hurdle after another, Sangye’s timely advice and experience proved handy. Thanks to Sangye’s experience, Dorje was able to extricate himself and the people from one precarious situation after another.
It was not long before the King grew suspicious. How did this naïve and simple village lad who had never before been in these parts, know so much? Why is it that only he was able to provide solutions where none of his experienced ministers could? He summoned Dorje and asked him this question.
Dorje did not want to expose his grandfather and claimed that he got all the ideas, but the King smelled a rat. On further prompting, Dorje revealed how he brought his grandfather with him, hidden in the bag and how his grandpa’s timely advice saved the day for Dorje so many times. The sycophant ministers were infuriated and asked the King to put Dorje and his grandfather to death immediately, for directly disobeying the King’s command.
Dorje fell on his knees and begged the King’s forgiveness. He pleaded with the King to kill him if he pleased, but leave his grandfather unharmed. Seeing the great love and bonding between grandfather and grandson, the King relented and had a change of heart. He realized his great folly in leaving behind the old and the sick. Not only had he lost the respect of his people, but he had also set a bad example for his son. How could he expect his son to care for him when he was sick and ailing, when he himself could not show the same respect and empathy towards the elderly? He also realized the great value of the experience of the elderly. If it were not for Sangye’s experience and foresight, none of them would have probably survived this harsh journey.
The King ordered his men to turn back. Using Sangye’s skills, the people were able to gather sufficient food and survive the journey back to their homes. The survivors were joyfully reunited with their relatives whom they were forced to leave behind. The winter soon passed and along with it, the King’s cruelty. He became a changed man, and like his father ruled justly and wisely and regained the love and respect of his people. The people of the Kingdom lived happily ever after.
I first read this story in the Tinkle Magazine when I was a kid. Something about this story deeply touched my heart. If you observe closely, there are a number of hidden life and corporate lessons which we can learn from it.
1. Do not take your position and privileges for granted.
During a rough patch, companies will ruthlessly off-board anyone considered a liability: loyalty, skills, experience and commitment all be damned!! Therefore, never take your position and your privileges for granted. You never know when the tide will turn. Always be aware of new trends and developments in your organization and keep yourself employment-worthy lest you be deemed a burden and discarded, just like the elderly people of the Kingdom.
2. There is no greater bonding than emotional bonding
In the long run, emotional bonding will prove to be stronger than professional relationships and other relationships of convenience. In this highly materialistic world one will come across many “fair-weather” friends: people who only respect you as long as you are of use to them, as long as you are in power. But know this: It is your wealth and your position they respect, not you. As soon as you stop mattering to them, they will cast you aside.
On the other hand, emotional bonds go way beyond physical and professional relationships. An emotional bond is a bond for life. People with whom you have emotional connections and vice versa, will love and respect you for just being you.
But Emotional relationships, the kinds of which you observe between parent and child and between siblings cannot be established overnight. They are based on virtues like trust, patience, unflinching love and great self-sacrifice which take a lot of time to achieve, perhaps an entire life time. But ultimately, they will come to your aid when all others would have failed you. If Dorje did not have that emotional bonding with his grandfather, he sure enough would have left him behind.
3. Your skills and experience will come to your aid during times of crisis
It was only thanks to Sangye’s expertise and timely advice was Dorje able to survive the arduous journey. The King too, was forced to acknowledge this fact and did not punish Dorje for disobeying his command. Who knows how things would have turned out if Sangye had not acquired the skills he did? It’s a sad fact of life that you matter only as long as you matter. Otherwise, you will not matter! Therefore, focus on acquiring skills and expertise which will keep you in good stead in the long run. And more importantly, ensure that these skills are beneficial to your family and the community as a whole so that people respect you for it.