Bros 2

 The Two Brothers Who Became an Elephant and a Tortoise

There is a fascinating little story in the Purāṇic tradition that begins with something very ordinary:

Two brothers quarrelled over property.

The brothers were Vibhāvasu and Supratika.

They were not always enemies. They were brothers.

But gradually, disagreement arose between them concerning their wealth and inheritance.

One brother wanted what he believed was his.

The other refused to yield.

Words became sharper.

Anger replaced affection.

Instead of settling their differences, they allowed resentment to grow until their quarrel reached a terrible point.

In their anger, they cursed one another.

And the curse took effect.

They were reborn as two animals:

Vibhāvasu became a tortoise.

Supratika became an elephant.

But something remarkable remained.

Their old hostility remained with them.

The elephant and the tortoise continued to fight whenever they encountered each other.

Imagine the tragedy of it.

They had once been brothers.

They had shared a family.

They had probably shared childhood memories, affection and a home.

Yet a quarrel over possessions had transformed their relationship into hatred.

And now, even after rebirth, the conflict continued.

One day, Garuda, searching for food, came upon them.

The mighty bird seized the elephant and the tortoise together.

He carried them away.

The two former brothers, still fighting, had no idea that their quarrel was about to become part of Garuda's extraordinary journey.

What remains after the quarrel?

This ancient story is striking because its subject is so modern.

Families today can sometimes become divided over houses, land, money, jewellery or inheritance.

The objects may be valuable.

But is any object worth losing a brother, sister or child over?

Property can be divided.

Money can be earned again.

Possessions can be replaced.

But once affection is destroyed, restoring it may be far more difficult.

The story of Vibhāvasu and Supratika takes this idea to its most dramatic conclusion.

They allowed a disagreement over inheritance to consume their relationship so completely that the quarrel followed them into another birth.

Whether one reads the story literally or symbolically, its message is powerful.

Never allow a temporary possession to destroy a permanent relationship.

We arrive in this world with nothing.

We leave with nothing.

Between those two moments, we accumulate houses, jewellery, bank balances, land and possessions.

But the people who love us are not possessions.

They are relationships entrusted to us.

Perhaps the two brothers' story asks a simple question:

When the day comes to choose between property and affection, what will we wish we had protected?