033: 4 LITTLE SISTERS - WOMEN’S DAY STORY
4 little sisters were living in the city of Kanyakumari.
First was very religious. She used to follow all guidelines of religious scriptures and beliefs learned from parents. Second was money minded, influential and had many friends. She used to get things done. Third was a daydreamer. She wanted many things. Fourth was totally different. She wanted to find meaning behind everything. First three used to often quarrel bitterly among themselves. They used to make fun of the fourth one. Fourth one never paid attention to their teasing and used to behave nicely in return.
On the occasion of Shivaratri, a lady fortune teller came to their home. They were all excited to know about their future. Fortune teller said that they can ask one question each. First asked – what is the right thing to do? Second – where will I get money? Third – when will I get married? And fourth – what is this all about? Fortune teller didn’t answer them but whispered something to the ear of the fourth. She then asked the first three to follow the fourth.
Their mother observed that all four started living in harmony and were very happy. Their mother met the same fortune teller after many years. She told her about the positive impact fortune teller’s whisper had on their daughters. She was curious to know what the fortune teller told her fourth daughter. Fortune teller told her that the sisters were unhappy because they were working against each other. She did nothing but gave them a higher common purpose which ingrained a coordination among themselves. Purpose was so high that it kept them busy. It made them forget their small selfish wishes. They were no longer blindly going after their own trivial yearnings. They were instead focusing their energy in one direction. As a result, they derived more gratification than earlier.
Mother has not felt more happy in her entire life. Mother renamed her daughters Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha as per their inclinations. Since they were miserable when not in unison, she asked them to stay together and named them Purushartha.
Fourth sister asked - we are all girls, why are you giving our group such a manly name?
Goddesses of wisdom “Saraswati”, wealth “Lakshmi”, and power “Parvati '' incarnated in the first, second and third sisters. With them also came a white swan, a white owl and a lion. Fourth sister thought the lion would kill the mother as the lion approached her ferociously.
Totally unfazed, mother stood her ground. She said “in sankhya and yoga philosophy- ‘purush’ is a word used for consciousness. People also call it spirit, ‘atma’, awareness and the like. ‘Artha’ in Sanskrit means meaning. Together it means “meaning of life”. My four daughters are perfect examples of an ideal life so I call them Purusartha.”
They were pleased by her in-depth response and courage. As per their expertise, goddesses gave mother boons in the area of knowledge, prosperity and strength. And then, goddesses went back to their respective adobe in their vehicles. Sisters continued to live within their mother in best possible harmony.
