This story is for those people who are not satisfied with their life and consider others to be happier than them.
Once upon a time, a raven was very unhappy with his life. One day he started crying while sitting on a branch of a tree. A monk was sitting on the tree. Just then a drop of the raven’s tears fell on the monk’s cheek. The monk raised his head and saw that. A raven was crying.
The monk asked him,
what’s the matter my friend?
Why are you crying?
The raven said, oh wise one, I am very upset with my life. No one loves me people shoo me away in disgrace. No one gives me anything to eat everyone hates me. Death is better than such a life. Hearing the raven’s word. Monk’s heart was filled with compassion. He said to the raven, my friend, we should learn to be happy in whatever condition we are in. But the raven did not understand the wisdom of the monk and kept on crying.
Then the monk said, don’t be upset, tell me, what do you want to be? I can make you that with my mantra. Raven became happy and said, oh blessed one if you want to do me a favor, then please make me a swan. The monk said okay, I will make you a swan. But first, go to swan and ask him whether he is happy with his life or not. You go and find out till then I wait for you here. Raven happily flew away to meet swan.
He saw a swan swimming in a pond. He went to swan and said how beautiful you are, you are as white as milk. Everyone loves you, you must be the happiest bird in the world. Swan said to the raven, with a sad heart, no my friend, I am not happy. There are so many beautiful colors in the world. But I don’t have any color white is a nothing color. I think parrot must be the happiest bird in the world. He is so colorful. Hearing this, the raven flew away from there and reached the parrot.
He said to parrot, oh parrot, you are so colorful and beautiful. You must be the happiest bird in the world. The parrot said to the raven, with a sad heart. No, my friend, I am not happy you see people keep parrots in a cage. I am always afraid that someone may hold me and lock me in a cage. I think the peacock is the happiest bird in this world. He is also much more colorful than me. Hearing this, the raven flew around looking for a peacock. After searching for a long time, he finally got a peacock which was in a cage in a zoo. He saw that hundreds of people had gathered to see him. After the people left the raven, approached the peacock and said, Dear peacock, you are so beautiful. Every day thousands of people come to see you. And look at me, when people see me, they immediately shoo me away.
I think you must be the happiest bird on the planet. The peacock replied sadly. He said, I always thought that I was the most beautiful and happy bird on the planet. But because of my beauty, I am entrapped in this zoo. When people pluck my colorful feathers to make decorative things, it hurts me a lot. The peacock took a deep sigh and said, I am not happy, my friend. The raven was surprised to hear this from the peacock, he asked him.
If you are not happy, then whom do you think is the happiest bird in the world?
The peacock said, I have examined the zoo very carefully, and I have realized that. You, the raven, are the only bird not kept in the cage. People don’t try to catch you and entrap you in the cages. So for the past few days, I have been thinking that. If I were a raven, I could happily roam everywhere, and I would be free. Hearing this, the raven flew away from there. And today, for the first time, he was feeling happy to be a raven. I came back to that sage and said, oh, why is one, I do not want to be anything else. I am fine what I am. If you see our lives, we will find that this is our problem too.
We make necessary comparison with others, and then become sad and curse ourselves. We don’t tell you what we have, and this all leads to vicious cycles of unhappiness.
You should learn to be happy in what you have instead of looking at what you don’t have. There will always be someone who will have more, or less than you have. If you keep comparing yourself to others, you will never be able to be happy. A person who is satisfied with what he or she has is the happiest person in the world. Thank you for listening.