Brahma - Corporatesutra #2

The holy trinity of Hinduism consists of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. While Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva are worshipped all over the world, Lord Brahma is not. Though, known as the creator of mankind, he never reincarnates, unlike Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva. Though Vedas are said to have originated from each of his four heads but yet Brahma is not worshipped by anyone. Ever wondered why you have never come across a temple dedicated to Lord Brahma?   

A long time ago, Lord Brahma and Lord Vishnu were consumed by the sense of self-importance. They began to argue about who among the two was the greatest. The argument soon turned into hatred and Lord Shiva had to intervene. Lord Shiva took the form of a gigantic linga  (the phallic symbol of Shiva) which was made up of fire and extended to the infinities of the heaven and the underworld. Lord Shiva told them, the one who can reach the end of the linga is the greatest. 

Lord Vishnu took the form of a boar and Lord Brahma took the form of a swan. While Lord Brahma flew towards the heavens to find the beginning of the linga, Lord Vishnu began digging towards the underworld in the quest to find the end of the linga. 

Both tried relentlessly for days but could not reach the end. Lord Vishnu returned back to Lord Shiva and bowed down in front of him and accepted Lord Shiva was the greatest. Lord Shiva, happy with his honesty blessed him to be treated as an equal to Lord Shiva. Lord Brahma was determined to reach the end. He decided not to give up so easily. As he was flying towards the heaven, he saw a Ketaki flower following down. Lord Brahma asked the flower where it was coming from. Ketaki told Lord Brahma that it was on top of Lord Shiva's head and a small tilt of his head made it fall down. 

Brahma saw the opportunity and lured to save the flower and take it to the heavens gently if it agrees to help him. Ketaki agreed to help. 

When Ketaki was brought before Shiva, the flower falsely testified that Lord Brahma had seen the upper end on the linga. Lord Shiva became furious at this lie and cursed Lord Brahma that he would never be worshipped by any human being. He also cursed the Ketaki flower that it would not be used in any Hindu ritual. Hence, Brahma was cursed not to be worshipped by anyone.

What do we learn from this story? Perjury and lies can have serious repercussions. In our corporate lives, there are moments where we end up with a need to prove our self-importance. In our quest to do so, we even resort to being dishonest and deceiving at various instances. When this happens, we all should remember that karma is very wicked in settling scores. We will eventually end up like Lord Brahma, the supreme creator but worshipped by none. We might be the smartest at our workplace but we will end up having no friends, no one who looks up to you if you fall into the trap of perjury, ego and self-importance. 

It's not just Lord Bramha who is teaching us an important lesson, Ketaki flower does too. Ketaki flower agreed to do whatever Lord Brahma wished for. This is where the Ketaki flower made a mistake. An error in judgement. Accepting to do things without knowing what they are, will surely result in a disaster. In our corporate lives, we often make judgements because we are influenced by someone else's judgement. This makes a concoction of a disaster. If we make an opinion about someone under the influence of someone else, we will be accountable for the opinion. Our opinions of judgements if not based on truth but on someone else will eventually lead us into trouble just like the Ketki flower.