Right Path, Wrong Destination

Most stories about demons in the Puranas follow a similar sequence of events- the demons obtain a boon from a God which bestows almost-immortality or excessive powers on them. They then proceed to use this boon for pure evil, and are eventually vanquished.

What’s interesting is that since Gods don’t grant boons easily, these demons have to earn them through sheer perseverance. They offer thousands of years of severe penance without food or water. They even perform the penance standing in freezing waters and scorching fires. Surprisingly, despite being demons, they have an unwavering faith in the God that they are praying to. Unfortunately their intentions are usually extremely wicked which nullifies all their hard work.

Of course the message that is conveyed through these stories is that evil always perishes. But upon further thought, they also tell us nothing comes easily in life or without faith (either in God or in your actions.) If you want your ends met, you have to put in dedicated hours of work. Evaluating the usefulness and correctness of our goals when we are spending time on a task might help us stay more focused. If only those demons had done so!