Story 17: Who Is the Real Doer?

 Story 17: Who Is the Real Doer?

(Scene: Rahul and Grandpa are walking in the garden.)

Rahul (running happily): Grandpa! Look, look! I just dropped a mango seed in the garden, and now a tiny plant has come up! Isn’t it beautiful?

Grandpa (smiling and bending down): Yes, my dear. This little plant is called a Papiha.

Rahul (surprised): Papiha? Isn’t that the name of a bird?

Grandpa (smiling): Yes, it is a bird. But when we were young, we used to call this small plant "Papiha" too. We would gently pull it out, rub one end, and blow into it to make a whistling sound — like a tiny flute! Maybe that’s why we called it Papiha.

Rahul: Wow! Did you used to play with it, Grandpa?

Grandpa (laughing): Yes, in our time, we didn’t have phones or TV. So, we used to play with these plants, eat neem fruits, brush with neem sticks, and swing from tree branches. These were our toys! It was fun, and we learned a lot too.

Rahul: But Grandpa, didn’t you get hurt doing all that?

Grandpa (laughing): Yes, but that’s how we became strong. Today, most mischief has been taken away by mobile phones.

Rahul: But Grandpa, we didn’t even water this plant or take care of it. So, how did it grow?

Grandpa: Because it rained, and it got the water it needed. The sun shines on time. You just put the seed in the soil. The earth gave it a home, and it got everything it needed.

Rahul (puffing out his chest proudly): So I planted the seed, and the plant grew. See, Grandpa? I made it happen!

Grandpa (smiling gently): That’s not just your magic, my child. It’s nature’s magic.

Rahul (confused): What do you mean? Grandpa

Grandpa (explaining softly): You planted the seed, yes. But did you break it open? Did you make the sprout come out? Did you make it grow?

Rahul (thinking): No… it all happened on its own.

Grandpa (lovingly): Always remember, when we do something, our part is often very small. Most of it is done by nature — it's nature’s miracle.

Rahul: Oh! So nature does the real work?

Grandpa: Exactly! And Lord Krishna explains this in the Bhagavad Gita:3.27

Prakṛiteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśhaḥ
ahankāra-vimūḍhātmā kartāham iti manyate (3.27)

 

“All activities are carried out by the three modes of material nature. But in ignorance, the soul, deluded by false identification with the body, thinks of itself as the doer. ” (Gita 3.27)

Rahul: So when we do something, it’s actually nature doing it, not us?

Grandpa: Yes, we just play a small role. We are instruments. Like when you planted the seed, the sun, the water, the soil, the air — everything else worked together to make it grow.

Rahul: Grandpa, can you give another example?

Grandpa: Sure. How do clouds form?

Rahul: From the steam of the sea?

Grandpa: And who makes that happen?

Rahul: It just happens by itself.

Grandpa: Then rain falls — how does that happen?

Rahul: Also by itself.

Grandpa: And when we eat food, who digests it and turns it into strength?

Rahul (eyes wide): That also happens on its own! Wow, Grandpa, it’s like magic!

Grandpa: Yes, my dear — "on its own" means by nature.

Rahul: And Grandpa, who gives nature this power?

Grandpa: God gives nature its power. Nature works under His guidance. We often forget this and think everything is happening automatically. But really, it's all a part of God’s creation.

Rahul: But Grandpa, we build houses ourselves, nature doesn’t make.

Grandpa: True, but to build a house, we need many materials — wood, metal, bricks, and clay. All of that comes from nature. We build with nature’s help. Without nature, we can’t do anything.

Rahul: Yes! Even when we cook food, the water, grains, and vegetables all come from nature.

Grandpa: Exactly! And there’s one more thing  — inside each of us, nature also works through three special qualities.

Rahul: Three qualities? What are they, Grandpa?

Grandpa: They are called the three modes of nature — Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas.
In English, they are known as:

• Mode of Goodness (Sattva)
• Mode of Passion (Rajas)
• Mode of Ignorance (Tamas)

Rahul (curious): Are they really inside us? What do they do?

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Grandpa: When Sattva Mode of Goodness is strong, our mind is calm. We think clearly, understand right from wrong, and choose to do good things. It brings peace and joy from within.

Rahul: Wow! That’s a wise quality!

Grandpa: Yes, that’s why it’s called the mode of goodness.
Now let me tell you about Rajas…

When Rajas' Mode of Passion is strong, we feel full of energy and desires — we want to work hard, earn money, become famous, and have the best things — clothes, phones, cars. But this mode never gives real satisfaction.

Rahul (laughing): Grandpa, I think this one is in all of us!

Grandpa: Yes, it’s the most common. But too much Rajas can make us selfish, proud, and quick to anger. Sattva brings peace, Rajas brings restlessness.

Rahul: And what about the third one?

Grandpa: That’s Tamas — the mode of ignorance. When it is strong, a person becomes lazy and may do wrong things. They don’t feel like working, don’t care for their health, eat junk, and may even hurt others — animals or plants too.

Rahul (shocked): Oh no! That sounds like a terrible quality!

Grandpa: Yes, but we all have it sometimes.
Sometimes we are in Sattva — calm and wise.
Sometimes in Rajas — active and full of desires.
And sometimes, Tamas takes over — we become careless and negative.

Rahul: So Grandpa, when one of these is strong, our thoughts and actions change too?

Grandpa (smiling): Exactly! The mode that is active at that time affects how we think and what we do.

Rahul: So Sattva helps us do good things, and Tamas leads us to bad ones?

Grandpa: Yes. And our food, friends, learning, and environment influence these modes greatly.

Rahul (thinking): Oh! That’s why all say good food, good education, and good friends are so important!

Grandpa: Absolutely! These take us closer to Sattva.
But remember, we don’t stay the same all the time — these modes keep changing.

We'll talk more deeply about them another day.
But tell me now — who is the real doer of all actions?

Rahul (thinking a bit): Nature?

Grandpa: And who controls nature?

Rahul (with joy): God!

Grandpa (laughing gently): Right answer!

Rahul: So Grandpa, we should trust God, choose good qualities, and do our work humbly — without ego, without thinking we did everything ourselves?

Grandpa (blessing him with love): That’s the true knowledge of life, my child.

Come now, your mom must be waiting for us.

(Both walk back home with a smile. The sun sets in the sky, but a new light of wisdom rises in Rahul’s heart.)

 Shalini Garg