My favorite myth from the Pantheon selections from this week is
the story of Indra and the Parade of Ants.
In this story, Indra is renowned as a savior by both mortal men and the gods
because he was able to slay a dragon that had been “holding the waters of
heaven in his belly”. After the dragon is slain and Indra rebuilds the city of
the gods, he decides to have a wondrous palace built in his honor by the god of
arts and crafts, Vishvakarman. As the years progress, Indra’s vanity is
revealed as he continues to ask Vishvakarman for terraces, pools, groves, and
other superfluous luxuries. Vishvakarman appeals to Brahma and Vishnu for help,
who come to Indra disguised as a hermit and young boy, respectively. The hermit
and young boy educate Indra about the vastness of the universe (both spatially
and temporally) and its cyclical nature, the nature of reincarnation, and the
alternating nature of good and evil. After learning much about living a
meaningful life, Indra loses all desire for pompous displays of power and
splendor and opts to live out the remainder of his days as a hermit in the
wilderness.
I enjoyed this story very much
because I believe it speaks to many of the issues we face as a global society
today. Too often world leaders make decisions without any regard to how
neighbors and future generations might be affected. I believe that if world
leaders truly grasped the vastness of the universe and how insignificant we are
in the grand scheme of things, we might aspire, as a global unit, to something
much greater.
exactly! imagine if world leaders (and CEOs) were humble?
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