O ur scriptures are replete with rich metaphors that contain valuable insights on how we can successfully negotiate worldly existence. Our scriptures need to be understood metaphorically; to understand them literally is to lose the message contained in them. The blindness of King Dhrithrashtra is not merely physical: he was blinded by his love for Duryodhana (attachment), which he placed above all else, including dharma. That was his undoing.
     Consider the case of Hanuman, son of Vayu, the wind god. As a child, he tried to swallow the sun! Full of mischief, he used to play pranks on sages involved in their austerities until the day came when they could bear it no longer. They cursed him by declaring that he would no longer remember his celestial powers.
     When his father Vayu heard of the curse, he restrained all movement in the universe! The world began to suffocate as it is impossible to survive without wind. The gods rushed to him and beseeched him to revoke his stand. But Vayu refused and declared that until the curse on his son is revoked, he would not budge.
    The gods approached the sages and they relented by declaring that if anybody recalled his powers, they would be restored to him. Only then did Vayu relent and the universe was consigned to its original state. Years later, when Sri Rama was seeking the whereabouts of his beloved Sita, he asked Hanuman if he could cross the ocean and visit Lanka to find out if Sita was alive and well.
     Hanuman was in a dilemma; how could he cross the ocean? Just then  Jambavan, the king of the bears, began reciting Hanuman's exploits as a child and it is said that as he was singing his praises, Hanuman rose in height, beauty and splendor! His confidence thus restored, he crossed the ocean without difficulty and returned after having performed some extraordinary exploits in Lanka.
    The truth of the tale is apocryphal. Its insight is this: the intensity of your problem is determined by the smallness of your mind! If you allow your problem to grow in stature, you become small and thereby allow the problem to become big! On the other hand, if you can outgrow your problem and become a Hanuman, your problem becomes small because you are taller than the problem! If you want to successfully negotiate your life's challenges, become a Hanuman!