We are all given great gifts when we are born, but through the process of our birth, we forget them. In time we are reminded of the power we have within, but with that power comes great responsibility, and it can take lifetimes to wield it responsibly.

Discerning between right and wrong is a hard fought lesson as a child. Mischievous and ignorant, we step into our would often times by trial and error, we learn through our actions. Punishment is a brutal reality for a child because we do no know what we do, it can seem like the end of the world, or confuse us. What did we do wrong? Why is this person angry with me?

In time, we shed our mischievous nature, and we take our place as adults in our community and learn to add our voices for the better. For the most part, that is, and hopefully we grow into parents ourselves and pass on our lessons and guide our children.

Hanuman, the monkey god, woke up one morning as a child and was hungry and alone. His single mother, Anjana, was off doing chores and was not there to greet his day. He rose out of his bed and saw the red sun rising, and thought it was a mango., so he leapt for the Sun ready to devour of it. The Sun God, Surya (Indra), not knowing who this monkey was, struck him down to protect the Sun and life on Earth.

When Indra realized he struck down a little boy, in his guilt he gathered up the other gods who each in turn, gave him gifts of great strength and protection from the elements. Brahma, however, who was also angry that his creation was threatened, cursed Hanuman to forget these gifts, until one day they would manifest as he helped Rama rescue his wife Sita.

This painting is of Hanuman making this leap ready to mistakenly devour the sun. It was a meditation of how sometimes, our desires cause us to leap before we think, and in turn hurt ourselves and sometimes those around us.

Being a human is a tough endeavor filled with confusion and pain as we sometimes learn the hard way. But within those experiences lay the seeds of wisdom that time grows fruits of knowledge in abundance.

Just remember, the sun is not a mango.