Nothing is insignificant

Along with his brother Lakshmana, Rama went in search of his wife, and
enlisted the help of the Vanara king, Sugreeva. Learning that Sita was
kept at Lanka, the kingdom of Ravana, which lay across the ocean,
Rama, along with the Vanara army, arrived at the seashore.

To reach Lanka, they had to cross the vast ocean, and after much
discussion, it was decided that a bridge would be built across the
ocean. The multitudes of monkeys and bears which formed the Vanara
army were asked to bring stones and boulders to the seashore, so that
a bridge could be built.

Shouting with excitement, and happy at the prospect of helping Rama,
the monkeys and bears ran around, looking for the biggest stones they
could find. The Vanaras were a strong race, and they carried huge
boulders, and even hills, on their shoulders easily, and dropped them
in the ocean to help build the bridge.

The other animals at the seashore too wished to help Rama, and each of
them helped him in his own way – the fishes and the other sea
creatures did their bit by helping the boulders rest at the right
place, while the birds flying overhead brought small stones to fill
the gaps.

A small squirrel was seeing this huge effort, and he too wished to
help. He thought for a moment, and then started collecting small
pebbles lying on the shore, and dropped them in the ocean. After a
while, he was too tired to even carry those pebbles, but still wanted
to participate. He ran to the edge of the water, and, after rolling in
the sand, ran to the water and washed himself. He ran back to the
shore and rolled again, and more sand got stuck to him, since he was
now wet. Again he ran to the water to wash himself. The small grains
of sand which stuck to his body were all he could contribute to the
massive task of building a bridge across the ocean!!

However, the small squirrel rushing to and fro on the shore was now
getting in the way of the monkeys who were carrying huge boulders, and
they started shouting at him, asking him to get out of the way.

“Brothers, I too want to help you. These small grains of sand are all
I can throw into the ocean as my contribution to the bridge. Please do
not shout at me”, said the little squirrel.

The monkeys laughed out aloud, and shouted, “Of what use are these
tiny grains of sand, which can scarcely be seen among the huge
boulders and hills we are bringing. Get out of the way and let us do
our work!”

The squirrel was unperturbed, and continued its work calmly. Finally
one of the monkeys, in his anger, picked up the squirrel and flung him
far away from the shore.

Rama, who was watching this, caught the squirrel before it fell, and
set it down carefully. He then addressed the Vanara army, “O Vanaras,
you are brave and strong, and are doing a wonderful job bringing all
these huge boulders and stones from far and dropping them in the
ocean. But did you notice that it is the tiny pebbles and stones
brought by this small squirrel and some of the other smaller creatures
which are filling the small gaps left between the huge stones?
Further, do you not realize that the tiny grains of sand brought by
this squirrel are the ones which bind the whole structure and make it
strong? Yet you scold this small creature and fling him away in
anger!”

Hearing this, the Vanaras were ashamed, and bowed down their heads.
Rama continued, “Always remember, however small, every task is equally
important. A project can never be completed by the main people alone.
They need the support of all, and however small, an effort should
always be appreciated!”

Rama then turned to the squirrel and said softly, “My dear squirrel, I
am sorry for the hurt caused to you by my army, and thank you for the
help you have rendered to me. Please go and continue your work
happily.” Saying this, he gently stroked the back of the squirrel with
his fingers, and three lines appeared where the Lord’s fingers had
touched it.

Thus did the squirrels get the 3 stripes on their backs, as a blessing
from Lord Rama, to remind us that no task, however small, is
unimportant! Every task should be looked upon as service to the lord,
and his blessings will always be with us.