When we face challenges in life, how do we get to know how to solve them? How do we know where to look for help and who can help us? A small story from Ramayanam gives a clue!
Kabanda was a charming and beautiful person who had one bad habit. He used to take strange forms and shapes and scare people. Once he took the gory form with just a chest, stomach and hands. With one eye in the chest, one mouth in the stomach and very long hands, he scared a Rishi living in the forest. The Rishi who got scared cursed Kabanda that he would remain in the same form till Sri Rama from Ikshvaku dynasty will come and cut off his hands and throw him in the fire. Then, he will regain his original form!
Years and centuries passed by and Kabanda lived in the same forest catching hold of people around him, eating them and staying alive.
When Sri Rama and Lakshmana are searching for Sita and come to Krounchavanam (from Dandakaranya forest), they feel two long hands catching hold of them tightly.
Sri Rama and Lakshmana realize it is a demon and cut off his hands immediately. Kabanda realizes that this was Sri Rama and finally his curse is going to be lifted and shares his story. He asks them why and how they ended up in Krounchavanam (forest).
Sri Rama tells about the golden deer and how they lost Sita and are searching for her everywhere.
Kabanda thinks and tells them –
Throw me into the fire as destined. When you do so, I will come out with knowledge and wisdom. With that newly gained wisdom, I will be able to tell you who can help you. You can befriend them and your problems and difficulties will be solved.
When they throw him in the fire, he emerges in his original form, thinks and suggests that in the Rishyamukha mountain, there lives a monkey Sugriva with four of his friends. Befriend them, they will lead you to all the solutions of your problems!
There was no other way Sri Rama would have connected with the monkey army and met Hanuman who solved all further unimaginable challenges. This biggest link was a leap of faith! An input given by a demon form on the verge of death held such significance to proceed and crack the next phase of their lives.
Wise people are those who are put into fire and tested time and again. Wisdom accumulates after every test that life puts us through, like drops of water in the ocean. Seeking guidance from such wise people gives us the necessary guidance & sense of direction on our next steps about who can help us solve our challenges. Sometimes these come in the form of friends, sometimes relatives, sometime enemies, sometimes strangers whom we have never ever met in life. However, as we pass through life, as long as we continue to perform our duty, help and guidance, inputs on the next steps comes right when we are ready to cross the road. We just need to listen.
All of our lives have Kabandas who appear whenever we need to stretch and take the leap of faith! Think about the biggest changes in your lives and who helped you trigger the change! Thank them for going through the fire to be able to line up that one sentence guidance for you!