What now?
When Tipu Sultan and his army entered Kerala, he destroyed many temples and their idols as they moved south. When he reached the town of Thrissur, his army camped just outside the Sree Vadakkumnathan Temple, on the vast grounds surrounding the temple. The temple lent their large vessels so that they could cook for their soldiers, despite knowing that the army could very well destroy them the next morning.
Tipu Sultan not only returned the vessels, he also donated a large brass lamp and left the temple untouched. There are some accounts of him entering the sanctum and experiencing something supernatural, but those are unsubstantiated.
I think he saw simple, sobering, clear-eyed human pragmatism. Simply seeing the situation for what it was - there was no stopping the army in any case. They would find a way to make food even if the temple declined.
“What now?”
“Might as well do what we would usually do 🤷🏽♀️”, the temple management probably said.
The mind sometimes use other people’s actions as an excuse to do or not do certain things. I(t) can weave stories of self-righteousness and create a nice cover for its own lack of conviction or motivation.
“Why should I do what I’m supposed to/ is right/is needed/when they aren’t?”
This dose of historical pragmatism from my hometown comes in handy in those moments!
An invitation to ask yourself- What story of others’ actions are you using to justify your actions/lack thereof? Can you see them for what they really are - just stories? And can you see beyond the stories?
[Pictured: one of the four massive gates of the temple]