The man that knows his job, knows his tool

As young kids we all must have heard or read the story of the woodcutter, whose iron axe fell into the river.

Just as the woodcutter was wondering what to do, the river angel came out of the water and held a golden axe before him. “My son, is this your axe?” she asked a worried looking woodcutter. 

“No”, replied the honest woodcutter, "this is not mine" he said.

The angel disappeared only to reappear with a silver axe. “Then surely, this must be the axe you dropped in here” she said trying to tempt the woodcutter. “Not mine” told the woodcutter.

Sure enough, she brought out the iron axe that the woodcutter had dropped...

The river angel went down to search again for the right one and sure enough, she brought the iron axe that the wood cutter had dropped into the lake. The grim expression on the woodcutter's face slowly broke into a smile as he joyfully took possession of his iron treasure.

“Yes, pretty angel that is my axe”, he said.The angel was pleased and blessed the woodcutter with prosperity and happiness. The story ended with the moral, “Honesty is the best policy”.

I read this story when I was young and was instantly impressed. My childish mind perceived all woodcutters to be poor and honest, both of which were only illusions as I know today!

But when I read the same story later on, I felt that the moral should have been “A good worker knows his tool”. You cannot cut wood with a golden axe and the property of silver, as a metal, is not conducive for cutting trees either. Iron's physical property, ease of availability as a resource made it suitable to cut wood the best.The story signifies the importance of having the right tool for the right job. Glamour can be tempting but may not necessarily be useful.The woodcutter knew his job and hence knew that only an iron axe can help him in his job. Before you choose the tool, it is, therefore, important to know the job on hand. 

Several years later when I read the story, there was much more to it than honesty or the right tool.Though the woodcutter is depicted as a poor man in the story, he was wise.

He could have chosen to keep the golden axe, which probably he would have got, had he wanted it. But for how long can you feed yourself with that? 

Wisdom should drive the decisions that we make in life. The woodcutter chose the tool which would enable him to earn his food for a longer time, rather than depending on a windfall which will make life very comfortable, albeit for a shorter period!

What you give is what you get!

The death of Abhimanyu serves as a gory reminder of the fact that hate be-gets hate. Arjuna and Krishna were distracted by Susarma in order to form the Chakravyuh and capture Abhimanyu. Once Abhimanyu entered the Chakravyuh, the Kauravas broke all warfare rules followed hitherto, and killed the young lad.   While the Pandava brothers were in grief, Arjuna vowed to kill Jayadrada who prevented the entry of any sort of help to Abhimanyu. Arjuna, overcome by grief, also declared that if he failed to kill Jayadrada, he would kill himself by self-immolation.  Lord Krishna remained calm, as he sensed the mood of the Pandava camp. He knew that the enemies had an advantage over the emotionally distraught Pandavas. Lord Krishna told Arjuna that the consequence of the vow he had taken was dire as Jayadrada’s father, through his severe penance, had obtained a boon.  The boon served almost as immunity against death for Jayadrada.  "The person that was responsible for his son’s head to fall on the ground would have his head shattered to pieces!” Krishna told Arjuna. But Arjuna was not perturbed. He simply told Krishna that he trusted his Lord to save him! Lord Krishna decided to fight the rest of the war, with the new rules that the Kauravas had set.  He advised Arjuna to ensure that Jayadrada’s head is carried far and fell on his father's lap.  Krishna told Arjuna that only this would save him from a certain death.  The next day, Jayadrada was protected by the Kaurava army and remained completely hidden from Arjuna. The Kauravas anticipated an aggressive backlash from the Pandavas.  The Pandavas could not find Jayadrada and their hunt for him ended in vain. The sun was just about to set and within seconds the battlefield was completely dark.  Meanwhile Arjuna lit a pyre and was just about to jump into it. Lord Krishna told him and the audience that had gathered to witness the death of the brave Pandava that it was just an eclipse and once the eclipsed sun came out, the battle should continue till sunset.  But alas! Even before the Lord could speak, Jayadrada came out and presented himself before Arjuna. Mocking Arjuna, Jayadrada stood; bold and courageous, assuming that he had escaped certain death. Krishna’s words and the sun God’s reappearance robbed Jayadrada of his momentary bravery. Arjuna made use of the Gandiva to behead Jayadrada. Such was the force with which the arrow was shot, that his head was carried in air, only to land on the lap of his meditating father. In a moment’s panic his father rose causing his head to fall on the ground. Thus Jayadrada’s father became a victim of the boon he had obtained! In the end, though, what you give is what you get!                          Jayadrada's head was carried in the air and fell on his father's lap Jayadrada's head was carried in the air and fell on his father's lap