The Story of the Scorpion and the Saint

Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902) was an influential Indian monk and philosopher who introduced Vedanta and yoga philosophies to the Western world. He was the foremost disciple of Sri Ramakrishna and played a crucial role in the World Parliament of Religions in Chicago in 1893, where he preached the message of universal acceptance and tolerance. His stories are full of courage, self-confidence and spiritual growth. They inspire us to overcome our fears, expand our minds and discover our true power.

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The Story

One day a saint was sitting in deep meditation on the bank of a river. His heart was pure and filled with compassion for all living beings. As he sat there, he saw a small scorpion that had fallen into the water and was struggling to survive.

The saint could not bear to watch the little creature drown. He reached out his hand and carefully lifted the scorpion out of the water. But as soon as he held it, the scorpion shrank and stung him with its poisonous stinger. The saint jerked in pain and accidentally dropped the scorpion back into the water.

Despite the pain, he felt pity for the animal and tried to save it again. He carefully lifted the scorpion and again the animal stung him. The pain shot through his hand, but the saint persevered.

A bystander, who had been watching the scene for some time, could no longer contain his amazement and asked the saint:

"Why do you keep trying to save the scorpion? Can't you see that it keeps stinging you?"

The saint smiled calmly and replied:

"It is the nature of the scorpion to sting, and it is my nature to help. Why should I change my own nature because of the nature of another?"

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The Moral

Swami Vivekananda used this story to explain that true goodness and compassion do not depend on how others react. We should not stop doing good even if others treat us wrongly. Our nature should not be determined by the behavior of others, but by our own inner convictions.

This story also teaches us that true greatness and spiritual growth lies in acting according to our own principles, even when it is difficult.