Don't Fear the Threat, Stay Alert

 Once upon a time, in a small village, there lived a boy named Aditya. He was intelligent and curious, but he had one weakness—he would panic at the slightest sign of fear. If an exam was near, he would get so anxious that he would stop studying. When any difficulty arose, he would be the first to run away. This habit of his kept him from facing even the smallest challenges in life.

Seeing this, Aditya's parents decided to take him to a renowned sage, Swami Anand, who not only taught the village children but also imparted valuable lessons about life. Aditya's parents requested the sage to teach him how to overcome his fear.

Swami Anand told Aditya, "Come early tomorrow morning. I will teach you an important lesson." Aditya was excited but also nervous about what the sage had in store for him.

The next morning, Swami Anand took Aditya to the edge of a forest, where a large elephant was slowly walking down a path. The sage tied three animals—a goat, a cow, and a buffalo—at intervals along the same path.

As the elephant approached, Aditya watched carefully:

1. The baby goat saw the elephant from a distance and immediately panicked. It began to struggle and move frantically, wrapping itself tightly in its rope and eventually collapsing in fear.

2. The buffalo calf, even as the elephant came closer, did nothing. It stood still, unresponsive. When the elephant passed over it, the calf remained passive, making no effort to escape or avoid the danger.

3. But the cow's calf was different. It saw the elephant coming and didn't panic. Instead, it remained alert, waiting for the right moment. As the elephant neared, the calf used all its strength to break free from the rope and ran to safety.

Swami Anand turned to Aditya and asked, "What did you learn from this?"

Aditya replied, "The goat panicked and trapped itself in its own fear. The buffalo did nothing and suffered the consequences of the approaching danger. But the cow’s calf was alert. It didn’t fear the elephant but waited for the right time and broke free to save itself."

Swami Anand smiled and said, "That is the lesson of life. We should not fear something until it is truly upon us. But when it comes, we must face it with the right action, not by panicking or doing nothing at all."

Aditya understood the profound wisdom in this story. From that day forward, whenever he encountered a challenge, he remained calm, assessed the situation, and took the right steps to deal with it. Slowly, Aditya became a brave young man, facing every obstacle with courage and wisdom.

Moral: This story teaches us that instead of running from fear or ignoring it, we must stay alert and take the right action at the right time to overcome it.