An ancient parable on the root cause!

A long time ago, in a small village, there lived a wise mother with the name Shanti. Through meditation and knowing the true nature of life, she developed tranquillity of mind and lived virtuously. She created and maintained the charity house in the village, and gave free food to travellers, poor and the hungry.

She had a son who assisted her. One day, early in the morning, he went to the garden to gather flowers. He accidentally crossed the path of a poisonous snake and it bit him. The poison was too strong. He instantly turned blue and died on the spot.

Nala, a benign farmer saw this from far across and rushed to help him. Alas! The son of virtuous mother Shanti was already dead. The farmer angrily ran behind the snake. Searching all over the place he successfully bound the snake with a string and brought it before Shanti.

He said, “Mother! This wretched snake is the reason for the death of your only son. Please tell me how you want to see this snake die. Shall I throw it into fire, cut it into pieces, or smash its head with a rock? This infamous destroyer of your son does not deserve to live anymore.”

Shanti replied, “Nala, I know that you mean well but release this snake. It does not deserve death in your hands. Why do you sink into doing such an evil act of this nature? Remember that when someone harms us, we need not harm in return. Harming them only adds to the wounds that we already have. To cross the ocean of life we must remain light like a boat that crosses the lake. If you make yourself heavy by acting on vengeance, you will sink to the bottom of the ocean of life like a heavy rock. Also, by killing this snake my son will not be restored to life and by letting him alive no harm will be caused to you. Then why would you kill this creature?”

Nala said, “Mother, you are exceedingly kind. These words are true only for the enlightened and other noble ones. It is not practical because this snake is the reason for your sorrow and so we must kill this snake. Enlightened ones assign time as the cause for everything and eliminate their grief. But practical men decrease their grief through revenge. Therefore, be practical and decrease your grief by destroying this snake. And please tell me how you want to see this snake die.”

She replied, “Death and birth do not depend on us; they are predestined. Wise do not harbour resentment, because resentment leads to pain. Be a compassionate person, forgive and release this snake. What is right in tormenting and killing an enemy? What is wrong in freeing an enemy under our control? You are a benign farmer why should you not forgive this snake. Releasing it alive will give you positive karmic benefits.”

“A great number of creatures ought to be protected from this wicked one. By killing this one, we will be saving multiple lives like that of your son. If not for your son, I am determined that we must kill this to protect the other innocents from this wicked snake. Though killing might be negative karma but allowing it to live will lead to much more negative karma because of the unforeseen deaths that would occur because of this snake.”

The enlightened Shanti repeatedly requested the farmer not to kill the snake. She did not approve his act. Nala was unable to disobey her and therefore continuously argued and requested her permission.

The snake, painfully bound with the cord, sighed a little and with great difficulty uttered these words, “What is my fault in this sequence? I do not have free will and cannot make independent decisions. The god of death aided me on this errand saying ‘Today, kill the one who crosses your path’. By that direction, I bit her son and not out of any anger or choice on my part. If you think any mistake is made it is made by her son because he crossed my path.”

“Even if you have done this action because of that god of death, the fact that you performed the act makes you guilty. You have confessed your guilt and therefore you deserve death at my hands.”

“For a seed to grow into a plant the land must be fertile, the pests should keep away, the climate must be right, and other such things are all regarded as causes but none among them is an independent cause. Even I am not an independent cause and therefore do not blame me. You must think that all the causes working in unison produce result and with certainty, doubt arises in cause and effect. Therefore, this is not a fault of mine and I do not deserve death on this account. If you still think someone is guilty then the guilt lies in the aggregate of causes.”

The angry farmer screamed, “I do not care whether you are the primary cause or an agent. The point remains that her son is dead because of your poison. Therefore, you deserve death penalty. This is true until the world accepts ‘when an evil act is done the doer must be left unpunished’. Having been an agent of this action, you deserve death. Please cooperate with me and die.”

The snake protested, “Whether cause exists or not, no immediate effect is produced without exertion. You will be making a mistake if you do not consider the chain that led me to exert. If you think I am the cause and plan to kill me, then you must also kill everyone who incited me to this end.”

“Why do you blabber? You deserve death in my hands because of your own atrocious act.”

The terrified snake passed the blame. “Please listen to me! When a king builds a monument, the architect, engineers, artisans and many workers work hard to ensure successful completion. Only the name of the king stays and no one else gets any merit. My action must be regarded in that respect. Akin to a king directing everyone to join hands and build a monument, the god of death directed me. If you insist on considering someone guilty then it is the god of death whom you should punish and not me. Please express your anger at that power.”

The god of death took the embodied form of an ascetic with an aura and appeared in front of them. Addressing the snake, the ascetic with an aura said, “Guided by time, I sent you on this errand. Therefore, neither you nor I am the cause for the death; it is time itself. Just as the sun sets according to the time, rain showers according to time, and several actions by numerous movable and immovable creatures happen according to the wishes of time. Time influences the whole universe. Time influences all actions in this world, all abstentions and all the modifications. Time creates and destroys all the existent and nonexistent objects. Knowing that time is all-powerful why do you consider me guilty? You know that this is not my fault, then why do you pass the blame?”

The snake replied, “I do not blame you nor do I absolve you from the blame. I only asserted that you influenced my actions. It is not for me to answer whether the blame belongs to that of time or not. I have no right to do so. I only say that the blame does not belong to me.” Then the snake turned to the farmer and said, “Nala, you have listened to what the god of death had to say. Therefore, it is improper of you to torture me by keeping me tied. Please release me.”

Nala replied, “I have heard your conversation. Both of you are the reason for his death. Hence, I consider both of you guilty of the offence. I always thought the gods perform good deeds but now I know that gods perform wicked deeds as well. I shall kill both of you for this wretched act.”

God of death replied, “We are not free agents but dependent on time. Time provides with the reasons for action and we are ordained to carry out our duty. If you think through this, you will not find fault with us.”

The farmer said, “If both of you are dependent of time, then I am curious to know how pleasure and pain are caused?”

God of death replied, “Everything happens under the influence of time. Time is the cause for everything and time provides the reason for everything.”

Time in the embodied form of a meditating ascetic with a moving clock in his heart flew down from the sky and reached the scene of disputation. Floating in the air at an elevated level above all the four, he said, “We three (snake, god of death, time) are not guilty of the death of any creature. We are the immediate exciting causes of the event. Destiny of her son formed the exciting cause of our action in this matter. We all are subject to the influence of destiny. He has met with death as the result of his destiny and the exertion influenced by his destiny. Everyone can appreciate the futility of exertion in living beings. One does not succeed in everything that one exerts. One succeeds only in those that one exerts in which one is destined to succeed. Therefore neither are you, nor am I, nor god of death, nor the snake, nor the mother is the cause of his death. He himself is the cause here.”

Saying so, time in the embodied form vanished and so did the god of death. Shanti convinced in her mind that man enjoys pleasure and pain according to their destiny, said, 

“Nala, we may be grieving but let us not hold on to the snake. Let it free.” The snake returned to his abode and the farmer Nala became consoled in mind.