Scorpion and the sage

Speaker: Radhanath Swami
Source:

We know that great sages by nature are paradukha dukhi. That means their only sorrow is the sorrow of others. They only live for the welfare of others. They are even willing to suffer, to be humiliated and sometimes even be killed for the welfare of others. There’s a story where a sage was sitting on the bank of the Ganges and saw a scorpion drowning. So he picked up this scorpion to save him but the scorpion just stung him. Of course the sting of a scorpion is very painful. So he picked it again and it stung. And again he dropped it and again he picked it up and again he stung. Dropped it again into water picked it again and again it stung. Somebody was watching this, and he asked this great sage what are you doing? Why do you keep picking out this poor creature? Why don’t you let it drown? Then he said it is the nature of a scorpion to sting and it’s the nature of a saintly person to be willing to endure even the greatest sufferings to help a living being in need. So this is the very nature of a great soul.