A brahmin, who had slaughtered a cow was being tried in
the court of Yama, the God of death. Yama asked the
guilty brahmin:

“Oh brahmin, why did you commit this most heinous crime?
You have to experience the greatest of tortures in hell.”

The brahmin was very shrewd. He answered:
“I did not kill that cow. God killed it. Scriptures say that not
even a blade of grass can move without His will. I am just a
tool in His hand.”

Surprised by the brahmin’s wicked intelligence, Yama decided
to teach him a lesson. He accompanied the brahmin to the
earth , stood in front of his house and asked him:
“Oh brahmin who built this house which is more beautiful
than the palace of Indra?

The brahmin answered with great pride, “Oh, I built this
house.”

Yama proceeded a little further, pointed at a pond and asked,
“Who dug this pond?”
The brahmin answered, “It is my work.”

Yama proceeded further and asked, “Did you create this
beautiful garden brimming with flowers and fruit?”
The brahmin replied:
“Yes. I created this dream garden”.
Next, pointing to the corpse of the dead cow, Yama thundered
at the brahmin, “Now tell me who really killed this cow?”
The Brahmin was tongue tied. He had nothing to say.

Yama spoke:
“Even if I were to punish God for killing this cow, since the
crime was committed through you, I would have to punish
Him through you. So, I condemn you to hell.”
There was no way the brahmin could escape punishment.

Like the brahmin in the story, when something good happens,
we take credit for it. But, when something goes wrong, we
blame God. We search for a scapegoat.
The Hindu Karma theory states that the good and bad fortune
which we experience today are the result of the deeds of our
present and past lives. If we commit a mistake, let us accept
it. If we blame others for it, we commit another mistake and
multiply the burden of our sin and punishment.
Let us remember,
We have to eat the food we cook
We have to eat the fruit we plant
We are pricked by the thorn we sow
Our children suffer for the sins we commit.

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