TOUGHIANS

TOUGHIANS

Sometimes, Rudra would go down to the greenlands between the mountains and the forest, where some really large animals lazed for hours on end. He loved it when even these animals, ‘the big boys’, were friendly. The oxen, in particular were huge and very strong, but whenever Rudra looked into their eyes, He would sense, a gentleness. “This is the way to be,” He thought again. “Gentle at heart no matter how strong you are.” One day, He wondered how much they weighed, and if He could actually lift one of them up. Closing up to a really huge ox, He gently put His hands below the ox’s stomach, and started to lift him in the air. He managed to lift him till His own waist, and then slowly dropped him back on the grass. The ox, in turn bowed his head and rammed himself into Rudra, albeit gently, sending Him rolling on the grass.
Rudra understood this was in play, and sure enough, in the days that followed, this game of affection and strength testing became a routine.