The war of Mahabharata had finally concluded, and King Yudhishtara had been crowned the king of Hastinapura. He wanted to do a Yagna for the welfare of all his people. He invited the most erudite of Brahmins and conducted the havan ceremonies at a grand scale. He gave lavish presents and cattle to the poor and the brahmins who conducted the ceremony. Everyone who saw him donating gold and precious gems in droves could not stop praising his sacrifice. They called him the greatest of all kings, the one with the largest heart, and a truly selfless being. As Yudhishtara was basking in their praise, trying hard to be humble, he saw a mongoose walk into the ceremonial space. He gaped because exactly half the mongoose’s body was golden while the other was brown. It rolled around in a few different places. Then it announced that everyone attending was merely praising the king and did not even know the real meaning of charity. The brahmins bristled at the criticism and told the mongoose it knew nothing about such things, so it should mind its own business. The mongoose asked them not to lose their temper and told them the following story.
A brahmin lived in his house with his wife, son, and daughter-in-law. They were penniless and could barely feed themselves since the famine had stuck a few months ago. One day the Brahmin managed to get some lentils (dal) and rice. They divided the meal into four portions and were about to eat it when a stranger knocked on their door. The Brahmin welcomed him, gave him water, and offered him his plate of food. The guest ate with gusto and looked up expectantly. The Brahmin’s wife could not bear to see him starve alone, so she gave up her plate of food. After a few minutes, his son and daughter-in-law followed suit by giving their food to the stranger, who finished it with great gusto. He got up and suddenly, in a blaze of light, revealed himself as the divine energy and granted them liberation from the cycle of birth and death.
The mongoose explained that some food scraps were lying on the ground, and he rolled on them. The side of his body that touched the food immediately turned gold. The mongoose added that he had been going from one spiritual event to another for all these years but nowhere else has he found the divinity that existed in the Brahmin’s sacrifice.
Lessons at Work
I have worked for many large organizations, most of which operate similarly. An elite executive team decides the strategy, which gets rolled out to all employees. All the training, the perks, and the budgets are reserved for the leadership teams, while the mid-level and junior employees are often neglected. They are seen as cogs in the wheels. Like the Brahmin family’s sacrifice, their travails are often ignored until there is a golden mongoose to tell their tale. That’s why the story of Zappos was such a refresher for me.
Nick Swinmurn went shoe shopping and did not find the right size or color to fit him. Frustrated, he decided to set up an online company to sell shoes. He did not find any investors till Tony Hsieh believed in his idea and joined him as a co-founder. They quickly realized it was an uphill battle, and the only way to succeed was by delivering the best customer experience. Hence, they ensured that every single member of their team went through extensive training that focused extensively on how they could delight customers. They understood that every team member, irrespective of their role, would need to live up to the promise. A week into the training program, the CEO of Zappos would make the following offer.
If you quit today, we will pay you for the amount of time you have worked, plus a $2,000 bonus.
Here are a few examples of how their team went out of the way to delight customers.
A groom ordered shoes from Zappos, which got sent to the wrong address. When the best man alerted Zappos, they offered an overnight replacement at no additional cost. They also upgraded his account to VIP status and gave him a full refund for the inconvenience caused to him.
A customer called Zappos in 2012 for a chat. The customer rep patiently listened to the customer as they discussed life in Las Vegas and other issues. The customer chose a pair of Ugg boots and disconnected after 10 hours and 29 minutes. A Zappos rep explained the philosophy.
Sometimes people just need to call and talk…We don’t judge, we just want to help.
Amazon acquired Zappos for 1.2 Billion Dollars in 2009 and agreed to maintain a hands-off approach to ensure the company focused on its core goal. The decision to ensure every single employee was aligned and acknowledged for their contributions paid off handsomely.
Note: While I have chosen to share this aspect of Zappos, the life of Tony Hsieh had a darker ending. He was said to be struggling with mental health issues, and the isolation enforced by the COVID-19 pandemic worsened it. He was finally found dead in a shed fire at age 46. You can read more about it here. I wanted to call it out because it’s tough to find perfect stories in life. We often spend almost all our time crafting the perfect life story versus actually living life.
Spiritual Lesson from This Story
My guru Om Swami has been conducting a wonderful Sri Sukhtam Sadhana for the past fortnight. It’s taken from the Rig Veda and is an extremely powerful, somewhat intimidating, and beautiful Sadhana of the divine mother. The relationship between a genuine guru and a disciple is the most beautiful one in the world. It’s because a guru will make whatever sacrifice necessary to ensure that the disciple progresses on the spiritual path. Every day at 5:15 AM IST, we join him virtually on the Sadhana App as he explains the story of every single verse that we have chanted in the Sadhana. It’s surreal and magical as he transports you back to ancient times and explains how ancient sages invoked each mantra and gifted it to humanity. That same lineage of sages continues unbroken till today, where they still strive to share wisdom with anyone worthy enough to receive it.
The story of Yudhishtara’s havan does teach us that one of the biggest obstacles for a seeker is vulnerability to praise. The spiritual journey is to move from thinking of yourself as extraordinary to extra ordinary (borrowed from Sadhguru’s teaching). As we walk the spiritual path, there are many occasions when we feel you are unique and we are threading on air. That’s when your guru chooses to prick the balloon of ego that you have inflated within you. Because the nature of a guru is love, they cushion the fall to ensure you don’t break your bones but let it hurt enough to ensure you learn your lesson.
The Brahmin family did not give away his food to a guest because they were seeking liberation. It was simply their dharma. In following their dharma to the end, they achieved liberation.
We often hear the glorious stories of the various sages that have graced the Bharatvarsha and feel intimidated. Their tapasya and their discipline seem untouchable. Yet, it helps to remind yourself that a journey of a million miles begins with the first step. Take your first step with the free and incredible Vedic Sadhana app. The app helps you identify your ishta and then perform daily rituals that deepen your relationship with them. It also makes the ancient rituals and practices followed by the sages of India available to you.