This short story is a part of - Short Stories by Sri Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa
Master ( Sri Ramakrishna) : “A man living in society should make a show of tamas to protect himself from evil minded people. But he should not harm anybody in anticipation of harm likely to be done to him.”
“ Listen to a story. Some cowherd boys used to tend their cows in a meadow where a terrible poisonous snake lived. Every one was on alert for fear of it. One day a brahmachari was going along the meadow. The boys went to him and said, ‘Revered Sir, please don’t go that way. A venomous snake lives over there.’ ‘What of it, my good children?’ said the brahmachari. ‘I am not afraid of the snake. I know some mantras.’ So saying he continued his way along the meadow. But the cowherd boys, being afraid, did not accompany him. In the meantime the snake swiftly towards him with the upraised hood. As soon as it came near, he recited a mantra, and the snake lay at his feet like an earthworm. The brahmachari said : ‘Look here. Why do go about doing harm? Come, I will give you a holy word. By repeating it you will learn to love God. Ultimately you will realize him and so get rid of your violent nature.’ Saying this he taught the snake a holy word and initiated him into spiritual life. The snake bowed down to the teacher and said, ‘Revered sir, how shall I practice spiritual discipline?’ ‘Repeat the sacred word.’ Said the teacher, ‘and do no harm to anybody.’ And he was about to depart, the brahmachari said, ‘I shall see you again.’
“Some days passed and the cowherd boys noticed that the snake did not bite. They threw stones at it. Still it showed no anger; it behaved as if it were an earthworm. One day one of the boys came close to it, caught it by tail, whirling it round and round, dashed it again and again on the ground and threw it away. The snake vomited blood and became unconscious. It was stunned. It could not move. So, thinking it dead, the boys went their way.
“ Late night the snake regained consciousness. Slowly and with great difficulty it dragged itself into it’s hole; it’s bones were broken and it could scarcely move. Many days passed. The snake became a mere skeleton covered with skin. Now and then at night, it would come out in search of food. For fear of boys it would not leave it’s hole during the daytime. Since receiving the sacred the sacred word from the teacher, it had given up doing harm to others. It maintain its life on dirt, leaves, or on the fruits dropped from the trees.
“About a year later the brahmachari came that way again and asked after the snake. The cowherd boys told him that it was dead. But he could not believe them. He knew that the snake would not die before attaining the fruit of the holy word with which it had been initiated. He found it to the place and, searching here and there, called it by the name he had given it. Hearing the teacher’s voice, it came out of it’s hole and bowed before him with great reverence. ‘How are you?’ asked brahmachari. ‘I am well, sir.’ Replied the snake. ‘But’ the teacher asked, ‘Why are you so thin?’ The snake replied: ‘Revered Sir, you ordered me not to harm anybody. So I have been living only on leaves and fruits. Perhaps that has made me thinner.’
“The snake had developed the quality of sattva; it could not be angry with anyone. It had totally forgotten that the cowherd boys had almost killed it.
“The brahmachari said: ‘It can’t be mere want of food that has reduced you to this state. There must be some other reason. Think a little.’ Then the snake remembered that the boys had dashed it against the ground. It said: Yes, revered sir, now I remember. The boys one-day dashed me violently against the ground. They are ignorant after all. They didn’t realize what a great change has come over my mind. How could they know I wouldn’t bite or harm anyone?’ The brahmachari exclaimed: ‘What a shame! You are such a fool! You don’t know how to protect yourself. I asked you not to bite, but I didn’t forbid you to hiss. Why didn’t you scare them by hissing?’
“So you must hiss at wicked people. You must frighten them lest they should do you harm. But never inject your venom into them. One must not injure others.
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