Every society is defined by its heroes. Every society elevates some individuals to a heroic status so that others will become heroes by following them. Modern societies, for example, elevate people who create companies, and make a lot of money through those companies, to the status of heroes. By following and worshipping these people, everyone tries to make a company and a lot of money. In the past, great conquerors we called heroes. But, in the Vedic system, all such kinds of people are not in fact heroes.
The Vedic system defines a hero by the word mahattattva or the essence of greatness. This essence comprises varied moral virtues like honesty, hard work, sacrifice, austerity, charity, truthfulness, kindness, generosity, cleanliness, diligence, fearlessness, and so forth. Everyone cannot become an emperor, a conqueror, or the owner of a money-making company. But everyone can be honest, hard-working, sacrificing, austere, charitable, truthful, kind, generous, clean, diligent, fearless, and so forth. Therefore, if we follow the modern system of hero-worship then society will have very few heroes. However, if we follow the Vedic system of hero-worship, then everyone can become a hero.
The modern-day heroes who have conquered lands, became emperors, started companies, and made a lot of money, often don’t have the qualities of heroism or greatness according to the Vedic system. They are often not honest, hard-working, sacrificing, austere, charitable, truthful, kind, generous, clean, diligent, fearless, and so on. If these people are elevated to heroes, then everyone following them becomes non-heroic because of following them. They forget about true moral virtues and try to get wealth and power. The whole society decays by the elevation of such people to heroic status.
Therefore, we can apply two considerations to the study of heroes: (a) heroism cannot be a zero-sum game but the present-day ideas of heroism are zero-sum games, and (b) those playing these zero-sum games are not to be emulated but they are worshipped. If we apply the Vedic concept of heroism, then (a) it is not a zero-sum game, and (b) the heroes are truly emulatable and worshipable.
Shabda Stories is an attempt to bring to people stories about truly great men, women, and children according to the Vedic definition of heroism. By reading these stories, we achieve a few things: (a) we learn about the real heroes, not the fake ones, (b) we follow them and we teach others about their heroism, and (c) we become heroes and produce many such heroes, elevating society as a whole.
Through Shabda Stories, we aim to tell the life stories of great personalities, which may also have been emperors, conquerors, or wealthy, although their wealth and power are not the reason we call them heroes. It is rather by their moral qualities that we consider them heroes. Our aim is simple: Tell people about real heroes, reject the hero-worship of fake heroes, and make everyone a real hero.