Nahusha was a great king - so great that one day, the Devas came to him and asked him to be the temporary king of their city, Amravati, while their king Indra was away on a pilgrimage. Nahusha was honoured by the privilege bestowed upon him. In Amravati, he was allowed to ride on Indra's elephant, the white-skinned Airavata who has seven pairs of tusks and seven trunks. He was allowed to watch the dance of the Apsaras. Gandharavas followed him everywhere, making music for his pleasure. He sat under the Kalpavriksha, the tree that satisfies every wish and was given the jewel Chintamani that makes all dreams come true.
"What about Sachi, the wife of Indra? Surely I have access to her too," he asked. When the Devas said no, he was furious. The Devas explained that Indra goes to Sachi only on invitation. If Sachi feels Nahusha is as good as Indra, he will be invited. But Nahusha demanded Sachi make herself available to him. Sachi sent a message that she would accept him only if he came to her chambers on a palanquin carried by Rishis. Nahusha, drunk on power, ordered the Rishis to carry his palanquin. The Rishis, wise old men who were highly respected by the Devas, had no choice but to obey.
One of the Rishis was Agastya, a rather short man. Since he was short, he could not walk as fast as the other Rishis. As a result, the palanquin could not move as fast as Nahusha wished it to. Impatient to see Sachi, Nahusha kicked Agastya on his head and shouted, 'Sarpa, sarpa', which in Sanskrit means 'faster, faster'. Sarpa also means serpent. So Agastya cursed Nahusha to descend on earth as a serpent. Thus the king, who was chosen to rule over the gods because of his great achievements, ended up becoming a serpent.
Mr. Doshi was appointed the Chief Operating Officer of the company. His predecessor had a done a great job, but had met with an accident and would not be able to return to work for at least a year. A replacement had to be found. Mr. Doshi fit the criteria. He was hired and taken on board. He was a good replacement and soon took charge of his role.
"What about Sachi, the wife of Indra? Surely I have access to her too," he asked. When the Devas said no, he was furious. The Devas explained that Indra goes to Sachi only on invitation. If Sachi feels Nahusha is as good as Indra, he will be invited. But Nahusha demanded Sachi make herself available to him. Sachi sent a message that she would accept him only if he came to her chambers on a palanquin carried by Rishis. Nahusha, drunk on power, ordered the Rishis to carry his palanquin. The Rishis, wise old men who were highly respected by the Devas, had no choice but to obey.
One of the Rishis was Agastya, a rather short man. Since he was short, he could not walk as fast as the other Rishis. As a result, the palanquin could not move as fast as Nahusha wished it to. Impatient to see Sachi, Nahusha kicked Agastya on his head and shouted, 'Sarpa, sarpa', which in Sanskrit means 'faster, faster'. Sarpa also means serpent. So Agastya cursed Nahusha to descend on earth as a serpent. Thus the king, who was chosen to rule over the gods because of his great achievements, ended up becoming a serpent.
Mr. Doshi was appointed the Chief Operating Officer of the company. His predecessor had a done a great job, but had met with an accident and would not be able to return to work for at least a year. A replacement had to be found. Mr. Doshi fit the criteria. He was hired and taken on board. He was a good replacement and soon took charge of his role.
But Mr. Doshi was upset when he learned that his predecessor had been given a bungalow as part of his package, while he had been given just an apartment. This bothered him no end. Was he not equal in stature, doing the same job with the same responsibilities? The management explained that his predecessor had served the company for over 25 years and the bungalow was part of this compensation, keeping many other emotional factors in mind. But Mr. Doshi would have none of it. He argued that he deserved a bungalow too.
When this was not coming, it started affecting his work and output. A point came when the internal audit team feared that he was taking decisions that would benefit him personally at the cost of the company. All this because he felt he was being denied what he felt he was being entitled to.
The headhunters are out there, looking for a replacement for Mr. Doshi. He does not know that like Nahusha who became obsessed with the one perk he was denied, he too will soon be kicked out of the heavenly seat he currently occupied.
When this was not coming, it started affecting his work and output. A point came when the internal audit team feared that he was taking decisions that would benefit him personally at the cost of the company. All this because he felt he was being denied what he felt he was being entitled to.
The headhunters are out there, looking for a replacement for Mr. Doshi. He does not know that like Nahusha who became obsessed with the one perk he was denied, he too will soon be kicked out of the heavenly seat he currently occupied.
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