This is what world is! This is what life is!

Why should God give me only this much difficulties? - This is the question which all persons in the world, ask in different languages but without changing the meaning.
Whenever this question comes to me I am used to telling a small story that is popular among the people of Buddhist religion.

There was a village... A boy goes to play at the side of a lake. At that time, someone was crying for help, 'Help me! Help me!' A crocodile is held up within a net and is fumbling in the lake side water. He requests the boy to save him. The boy refuses to save stating that he will swallow the boy upon being relieved from the net. But, the crocodile sheds tears and swears that he will not eat the boy and begs him to save.

Believing the words of the crocodile, the boy starts cutting the net... Immediately, the crocodile has caught the leg of the boy. The boy asks in tears: You sinful crocodile! Is this justice? What to do? This is what world is... This is what life is! Saying like this, the crocodile starts swallowing the boy. The boy does not even bother about death. But he is not able to accept the logic proposed by the crocodile thanklessly.

The boy, being swallowed by the crocodile slowly, asks the birds on the tree whether what the crocodile says was correct. Birds respond: We take so much care and safely build our nest on top of the tree and lay eggs there... But snakes come and drink all that... So we accept what the crocodile says! This is what world is! This is what life is!

The boy asks the same question to the donkey that is feeding on grass at the side of the lake...
The donkey said: 'When I was young, my owner made me lift loads of dirty cloths and suffer a lot. Now I have become old and weak. I am not able to walk. Because of this, saying that he can not give me food , he has driven me out. There is nothing wrong in what the crocodile says. This is what world is! This is what life is!'

The boy was not able to accept even then! At last, the boy asks the same question to a rabbit. 'No, I do not accept what this crocodile says. The crocodile is bluffing', as the rabbit said like this... The crocodile has become angry. He started arguing keeping the boy's leg in his mouth. The rabbit said that he did not properly understand what the crocodile speaks as he speaks having the boy in the mouth
The rabbit mocks at the crocodile, laughing loudly, 'You, idiot crocodile! Have you forgotten the strength of your tail?'. He reminds the crocodile, 'You can just hit with your tail and catch the boy even if he tries to escape...' The crocodile released the boy and started to speak. Immediately, the rabbit shouted asking the boy to run and escape. The boy has escaped.

Only when the crocodile tried to raise the tail to hit at the boy, did he realize that he has started swallowing the boy before the tail was relieved from the net! The boy has escaped. The rabbit smiled at the angry crocodile and said, 'Have you understood... This is what world is! This is what life is!

Within a short time, the boy who escaped brings the villagers and the villagers have killed the crocodile. At that time, a dog which came with the boy chases the wise rabbit and kills it before the boy runs to save the rabbit... The boy sighs in grief, 'This is what world is! This is what life is!'

We may not be able to fully understand several things in our life! Saints of Hinduism said like this. This is what is insisted by Buddhism also.

-Taken from Tamil book Manase Relax Please written by Swami Sukhabodhananda