Mudita, The Little Kitten : A Tale of Kindness I Story By Praaptie, 14, Bhubaneswar

Mudita, The Little Kitten : A Tale of Kindness

It’s not that life is short, but we start living too late. Often we miss out on doing things that make life worthwhile.

The story I am going to share is a real-life incident that taught me that even in the most unexpected ways, love and compassion can prevail.

One sunny afternoon, I was walking home from school when I heard a faint meowing sound coming from a nearby alley. I followed the sound and found a tiny kitten surrounded by fierce-looking dogs. I knew I had to act fast, so I scooped it up and cradled it in my arms, shooing the dogs away.

All the way home, I was thinking about how my grandma would react, as  she was not an animal lover.

As I entered the door, my grandma shouted furiously, “Get that thing out of here!” Her eyes flashed with anger. 

“But Grandma, why? It’s just a harmless kitten!” I tried to calm her down.

“Don’t you know cats bring bad luck?” she retorted.  “Throw it out right away.”

I was taken aback by her reaction, but I didn’t want to give up on the kitten. So, I hid it in my room, hoping to find a way to convince Grandma to let it stay.

One day the kitten slipped out of my room and entered the puja room. To my bad luck, my grandma saw it. 

“How dare you enter this sacred place with your dirty paws, you filthy creature?” she exploded  in anger. The little kitten looked at her with fearful, teary eyes, as if it were asking, “Why am I to be so hated? What’s my fault?

But my grandma’s deep – seated convictions were more important for her than the feelings of the poor creature. Suddenly she hurled a nearby vase at the kitten from outside the puja room. As it was about to hit the kitten, a sudden, powerful gust of wind blew in, shutting the door just in time.

The vase shattered against the door, and grandma’s anger turned to shock. She pushed the door and found the kitten unharmed, sitting near Lord Krishna’s idol. The dimming lamp suddenly brightened up . A big flower from the temple’s garland fell from above, landing softly on the kitten’s head, as if it were a blessing for the innocent creature.

I looked at Grandma. She was speechless, as if questioning her own conscience.

She slowly moved towards the kitten and picked it gently. Tears of regret streaming down her face.

“I’m sorry, little one and also thank you for reminding me of the lines of the Bhagavad Gita, which say all living beings are part of God,” she whispered and held the kitten close. 

The kitten pushed its head into Grandma’s hand as if it understood everything.

That day, I discovered that animals not only understand but also respond to our language—the language of love, kindness, and compassion.”

From that day on, grandma loved the kitten. She named it Mudita.

(मुदिता), in Sanskrit, which means finding joy in the well-being of others.

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