The Dhammapada
Verse 222: Annatarabhikkhu Vatthu
Yo ve uppatitam kodham, ratham bhantamva varaye
tamaham sarathim brumi, rasmiggaho itaro jano.
Verse 222: He who restrains his rising anger as a skilful charioteer checks a speeding chariot, — him I call a true charioteer;
other charioteers only hold the reins.
At last the day had arrived for Sameer when he would be giving an important presentation in front of the board members. He had been working for the last one month on the presentation, tweaking and e-tweaking it, to the extent of memorising each word of the presentation. He had carefully rehearsed his lines, even the pauses at the right moment. He wanted everything to be perfect.
Dressed in his best attire, and remembering the almighty, he stepped inside the boardroom to oversee if the projector was working fine. He could feel the cold sweat going down his spine, while his hands shook in nervous anticipation, as he walked towards the podium. But, everything changed once he reached for the microphone. He was in his elements, he was ‘Sameer, the conqueror’ as called by his colleagues, who were both in awe and envy at his quick ascend. But Sameer knew better, the success did not come easy. It was his hard-work and dedication that helped him reach the podium he was standing on now.
But his reverie was broken rudely by his boss who opened the door of the boardroom.
“What are you doing here?” he asked curtly.“I thought of checking the microphone and the projector to avoid any last minute issues,” said Sameer in a hurt voice. He thought it was the right thing to do.
Maintaining the same curt voice, Sameer’s boss continued, “Well, that’snice of you. But, I need you now to concentrate on the annual report. Why don’t you sit with Jitin and charter the work for the coming week.”
“But sir, I need to rehearse the presentation,” said Sameer in a confused tone.
“Don’t worry about that. I am taking over from here. I have gone through your presentation, it is simple enough for anyone to present. I will do the needful, you concentrate on the job at hand,” said Sameer’s boss in a matter of- fact manner.
It felt as if the ground beneath Sameer’s feet was shaking. His world was crumbling, and he felt suffocated under its debris. Fighting to keep his choked voice under control, he mustered enough courage to ask his boss, “I have done so much of hard work on the presentation, working around-the- lock and perfecting the points. When you assigned me the work, you had promised that I would be the one presenting it to the board members. Then, why the sudden change of plan?”
“When did I promise you anything? Isn’t it enough for you to be even given this important task of preparing a presentation for the board members? How many of your colleagues get that honour, tell me? Besides, think of the appraisal. Certainly, this presentation is not as important as getting a good appraisal Sameer,” said the boss with an evil grin on his face.
And that grin did it. At that precise moment Sameer wanted to rip off his boss’ shirt and bare his deeds in front of everyone. He was so angry that he started shaking violently. But, before he could utter another word, Jitin stepped inside the room and asked the boss to come with him for some
urgent sign-off.
As the door closed behind him, Sameer sank into a nearby chair, trying against his better will to control his temper. He threw away his mobile phone on the table, and started to stare blankly at the projector. He was seething with anger. He decided not to take it lying low this time. He was going to confront his boss.
As he started to leave the room, his phone’s messenger beeped. He had forgotten about the phone in his anger. He collected it from the table and out of habit, looked at the messenger. It was one of those automated messages sent by the mobile apps. Usually, Sameer delete such messages, but this one caught his attention. It was a quote by the Buddha, “He who restrains his rising anger as a skilful charioteer checks a speeding chariot, — him I call a true charioteer; other charioteers only hold the reins.”
Sameer was awestruck, he couldn’t move at all. It was so aptly timed. Suddenly, a maniac energy tripped him, he wanted to know the context behind the thought. He opened the browser and followed a link that led him to the Dhammapada: Verse 222.
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