Vetal and Vikram: Vetal’s last flight

Vikram, I will let you go—but before that, you must answer my question.

"Vikram, who is responsible for the pollution that has spread everywhere on Earth? You know the truth, and if you fail to tell it, a thousand pieces will fly from your head".

Vikram replied, “Vetal, pollution spreads because of human-made waste, plastic, petrol fumes, and so on. Since humans create these things, humankind alone is responsible.”

Vetal chuckled softly. “Vikram, your answer is true.” Saying this, he shot into the sky, but no matter how far he flew, he could not spot a single tree.

Exhausted and defeated, Vetal finally clung to an electric pole. A fierce 440-volt current surged through him. Vetal crashed to the ground with a thud. He found release.

And Vikram? He remained alive - to languish and die slowly in the hell of pollution.

 * Vetal means Ghost, evil spirit 

Govardhan: The Protector of Brij

 

Clad in emerald garments, Mount Govardhan stood with its head held high against the sky. Lush meadows stretched all the way to the distant Yamuna. At its foothills lay many lotus-laden lakes; the beautiful land of Braj was adorned with cranes, ducks, swans, and wondrous birds, as well as deer, tigers, and a host of wild creatures.

Along the Yamuna’s banks, groves thick with kadamba, mango, guava, and myriad other plants and trees made leafy bowers. One day, herdsmen came into this region with their cows, buffaloes, and goats. As humans do, they felled trees to build and to burn—but they planted none in return. In a short time Mount Govardhan was stripped of vegetation; only soil and stones remained. With each monsoon, landslides began. The lakes at Govardhan’s base silted up with mud and rock. The bowers along the Yamuna vanished. The wild creatures too departed from Braj.

One day a storm came: clouds roared and a terrible rain fell. The Yamuna swelled in flood, with no trees along her banks to hold her back. Her waters entered the villages. Elsewhere, the treeless slopes of Govardhan crumbled. A torrent of mud surged down into the settlements. Hundreds of homes were leveled. Hundreds of herdsmen and thousands of animals were carried away. All believed it was the wrath of Lord Indra. They resolved to conduct a sacrifice to appease him. But Shri Krishna opposed the rite.

Krishna said, “This calamity has come upon us through our own folly. We ourselves destroyed the trees and plants on Mount Govardhan and along the Yamuna’s banks. We forgot that Govardhan is our guardian. Had we not been blinded by selfishness and acted foolishly, this terrible rain would not have harmed us so. We must restore Govardhan to his former glory.” The herdsmen accepted Krishna’s counsel. Under his leadership, they planted trees again upon the mountain. They revived the lakes at its base. Moreover, Krishna caused ninety-nine lakes to be made. Along the Yamuna he had thousands of trees planted, reweaving the groves.

Time passed. Braj once more grew rich in greenery. Wild creatures—beasts and birds—returned. One day another fierce rain came, but this time no muddy flood followed. The hundreds of ponds across the land gathered and held the rain. The trees along the Yamuna gentled the force of the flood. The herdsmen and their animals were safe. Mount Govardhan guarded Braj.

Krishna showed the world the way: when we protect nature, nature protects us. To keep nature safe, our sages endowed mountains, rivers, lakes, and forests with divinity. Today we have grown selfish; for petty gains we are destroying nature. The result: terrible floods, collapsing hills, thousands perishing. If we would save humankind, we must again follow the path Krishna showed.

The Reflection

 

“You are my soulmate across lifetimes. I simply cannot live without you.   “I can’t breathe without you. That’s how deep my love runs.” Saying this, he hung up the phone with a soft “Love you.”

 “Ha! Ha! Ha!”

The reflection in the mirror burst into mocking laughter.

 “What a liar you are, you vile demon. How many women’s lives will you ruin?”

“Who asked you to interfere? Stay quiet.”

“Wretched man, it’s in my nature to reveal your true face.”

“Oh, King *Harishchandra the truth-teller, your ranting is beyond my tolerance now. Time to deal with you.”

Smash!

In an instant, the reflection shattered into pieces.

He looked down.

There, lying in a pool of blood, was the man within him.

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* Raja Harishchandra was a legendary king renowned for his unwavering commitment to truth and virtue—even sacrificing his kingdom, family, and freedom to uphold a promise and remain truthful.

When Paradise Eats the Planet

 

Uneducated and the fool Kalidasa sat on a tree branch, hacking away at its trunk with their axes. A sage passing by warned Kalidasa, “Fool, the moment this tree falls, you will fall with it—and perhaps perish alongside it.” Convinced by the sage’s words, Kalidasa climbed down. He would later become a great scholar and writer. Kalidasa, in his literary works, beautifully described the love between humans and animals, birds, creatures, and trees and flowers. He portrayed the splendor of nature with vivid elegance.

Today’s Yayati sought to taste the bliss of heaven right here on earth. He built a house of cement and concrete and filled it with wooden furniture, cupboards, and paneling. Every amenity—air conditioner, microwave, refrigerator, television, washing machine, computer—ran on electricity. A petrol-powered car waited in his garage. Yayati believed himself almighty, and for sport he hunted the forest’s creatures until they vanished from the land.

To satisfy his every craving, he stripped forests bare, gouged deep into the earth, and wounded her to extract vast mineral wealth. He mined coal by the ton for power and drew petrol from the earth’s blood to fuel his vehicles. The air grew foul, the water toxic, and disease spread unchecked. Instead of heavenly joy, Yayati now suffers hellish torment.

 In desperation, Yayati sought refuge with the sages. They told him, “Yayati, liberation from this torment demands that you honour the right to life of every creature—animals, birds, plants, and trees alike. Cease drinking the earth’s blood and wounding her body. Nothing less will free you from your suffering.”

 The question remains: will Yayati heed their counsel, or will he, driven by his lust for paradise, continue to endure the pains of hell?

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*Yayati is a king from the ancient epic Mahabharata who once craved the pleasures of heaven during his lifetime. His desires knew no bounds until he finally awakened to the truth, renounced all worldly pleasures, and embraced the life of an ascetic.