‘A Farmer‘s word on work ethics helped the world to prosper’- A story told by Ki.Ra

Yesterday, Swamy Chinmayananda’s story was retold by me. I took more liberty, while translating from Tamil to English. That was a story where the Swamiji made the poor farmer to realize that his hard labor was assisted by God’s grace, which eventually facilitated the garden to crop up in all its majesty and glory.

The story that I am posting today was written by one famous Tamil writer K.Raja Narayanan,shortly Ki.Ra. .It appeared in one short lived numbered Tamil journal, Tamil journal namely ‘Kadai Cholli’.

Way back on 17.8.1999, I translated this story into English. It was revised on September 29, 2002. Today I did some editorial correction. I have taken nearly a decade, to put this before a broader audience.

This story deals with a altogether different theme. Here the rain God is made to feel ashamed of himself by the hard work ethics of a poor but an enterprising farmer. It would be very difficult to come across a farmer narrated the story .

Now, the story:

For twelve long years it was not raining. Not even a drop of water fell on the land. And yet, that farmer was ploughing.

Seeing and sensing his strange behavior, the village folk teased him. But hardly he bothered about their ridicule or reactions. “I should not attach any significance to their remarks”, he told himself. He was doing his work, more orderly, regularly, with feverish interest.

That is all.

That summer too, as usual, he began ploughing the soil and completed his work. Thereafter, he would wait for summer rain but weather gods would cheat him.

During rainy season, again he would attempt to plough, expecting copious rain. But, again, the monsoon rain would play truant with him.

Undaunted by the cumulative failure of monsoon, the farmer was doing his job for 12 long years, without much fuss or bother.

In the thirteenth year, the farmer persisted in doing what he had been doing all along his life. He was ploughing his land, without losing his hope.


The rain God was astounded by his tenacity and determined efforts.
“Could it be true that a farmer of this sort still exist on Earth?” the rain God seriously pondered over.

Soon God incarnated himself into human form, came down and walked to him.

“Hai, the hard working farmer, it seems, you are ploughing,” god began his conversation.
“Don’t you notice it,” the farmer quipped.

“Ya, Ya, I do understand. But gentleman, aren’t you stupid enough to plough, knowing full well that for 12 long years, it hasn’t rained? Your behavior is ridiculous. Why do waste your labour?”

“Oh, you are teaching me how to behave? Wonderful. Look here gentle man, I do my work. I know only one thing in life that’s farming. So I plough every season, without blaming the failure of monsoon. If I don’t perform my work, I might even forget my farming skills. One should do work, regardless of adversity. Then only it is work”.

Hearing this sermon from the farmer, the rain God got perturbed and became panicky. His conscience too pricked Him that he had not done His job for twelve long years .No sooner he thought of his deficiencies than began a heavy down pour, lest he would also forget his job of quenching the thirst of Mother Earth.

This is how a farmer’s word helped the world to prosper.

Courtesy: Kadai Solli.