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All of us appreciate the idea of receiving timely help. If we make it a point to be grateful and pass on the blessing we received by chipping in to do our bit when needed, the world will be aglow with human kindness.
The greatness of helping and gratitude has been captured through a chain of events in the Ramayana.
Long long ago, all mountains, hills and hillocks had wings. They would happily fly about and roosted wherever they wanted to. Their girth and weight caused a lot of death and destruction wherever they landed. The Rishis appealed to lord Indra for aid. The lord of gods intervened with his Vajrayudha and clipped the wings to demobilise the mountains.
Mainaka, the son of Himavaan a young accomplished and handsome prince did not want to lose
his wings.
He approached his father in law who was very powerful and influential. The king of Nagas directed him to fly southwards and seek shelter from the King of the Seas. Thereby, Mainaka was allowed to rest on the floor of the ocean with his wings intact.
The mountain prince was overwhelmed by the gesture. He wanted to express his gratitude towards his protector in a palpable manner. However, Sagara Raja seemed to lack nothing. Time flew by.
In the Treta Yuga when Sita the spouse of the exiled prince Rama was abducted, he scouted for her along with his brother Lakshmana. They helped Sugriva establish his rights. The grateful king offered his army to assist Rama. Hanuman was chosen to cross the ocean. Maruthi launched his great leap from the Rishyamookha mountain. He hoped to find a landing point midway so that he could touch land without a glitch. When the king of the ocean learned about the matter, he was very keen on contributing to Rama’s mission. Even as he was wondering as to how to go about it, Mainaka fluttered his wings and flew upwards. When Hanuman was halfway across the ocean, Mainaka raised his head and helped the envoy to perch on him for a while, gather his breath, and proceed further. Thus, Mainaka helped the Ocean king contributing constructively in Rama Karyam. Thus, the urge to return favours grew across time and space to help things fall into place. If we could imbibe the grace of gratitude, the world will certainly become a better place.