Author of the text: Mark Casillas, one of our members from North America
Aboru Aboye.
Sometimes it has to be stated that not all problems emanate from wizards, witches, negative spirits etc, or divine decree. Most of the time our problems are caused by our individual and collective bad, unwholesome and selfish actions. For instance, in Odu Ogunda Meji we see the that King Olofin was the architect of his problems through greediness and acts of ungratefulness.
Oju o kan won laaaro
Lale, lale loju n kan won
A difa fun, Orunmila, Ifa n ro omo
Agbonniregun,
Ifa o lowo ti o fi te omo re nifa.
‘They are never in a hurry in the morning. But they are hurrying up in the night. Ifa divination was performed for Orunmila. Ifa complains about Agbonnireguns son. Ifa has no money with which to initiate his own offspring.’
Orunmila at a time helped prince Olofin to become the king of Ootu-Ife. When Olofin became king, Orunmila ran to him for help because he needed to borrow some money to heal his son’s sickness. On the advice of Elegbara, Orunmila went to King Olofin. On getting to him, King Olofin told him to look for a guarantor before he could be lent the said amount. Elegbara brought one of his sons called Alapatase to work as a pawn for the king pending the time Orunmila would pay the borrowed money.
One day, Elegbara visited Atapatase and gave him a hoe which he instructed him to be using hereafter. Immediately Alapatase started making use of the hoe then several catastrophes began to befall the entire household of King Olofin. One such problem was that one of Olofin’s sons called Abolowopowo fell sick. When Olofin sent for a babalawo, the babalawo revealed Ogunda Meji and said that one of the kings servants was responsible for the bad happenings and that there was a need to stop him immediately. When Atapatase was identified as the culprit, he refused to stop working and said:
Oju o kan won laaaro
Lalaale loju n kan won
Hin…n
A difa fun, Orunmila
Ifa n romo Agbonniregun
Hin…n
Ifa o lowo to o fi te omo re nifa
Hin…n
Abolowopowo n lomo Olofin o
Hin…n
Atapatase lomo esu odara o
Hin…n
A ki i ma maa yani lofa ka ma sinni o
A ki i mamii yanii lofa ka ma sinni
E e
A ki i mamaa yani lofa
Ka ma sinni
‘They never hurried in the morning. It was in the night that they were hurrying up. Yes. Ifa Oracle was consulted for Orunmila. Ifa complained about Agbonniregun’s son. Yes. Ifa (Orunmila) has no money to initiate his son. Yes. Abolowopowo is the son of Olofin. Yes. It is not possible for a pawn not to serve his master. Yes.’
And so Atapatase refused to stop working until both Orunmila and Elegbara were invited. It was then that King Olofin realized his mistake and acknowledged that he was an ingrate. He then and there bed for forgiveness, made rectification and reparations. Afterwards Orunmila pardoned King Olofin who has then given him two hundred she-goats, two hundred dried fishes, two hundred bush rats and two thousand cowries.
Moral of the story: Our own ungrateful and thoughtless actions will surely catch up to us, bringing sorrow, shame and affliction to ourselves and to our household. It is better to be grateful and appreciative. It is better to remember the kindness of others and compensate them (help them) when they are in need especially when we are in a position to help and give relief.
Ogbo ato asure Iworiwofun.