The pataki of Eleggúa and Obi, which means "coconut" in the Yoruba language, is a story to reflect on.
He leaves us a fundamental teaching and it is that no matter how high we may reach, we never forget our roots and the humility in our hearts.
Obi: the one with the soul and the white body.
Constitution He had seen in Obi "the coconut" a fair character, without pride, pretensions, or vanity, based on those qualities Olofin thought it appropriate to place him at the top of the palm. It made her soul and body white outside and inside, as white as purity.
Como Eleggua He was always Olofin's true servant, he also put him at Obi's service.
This is how Eleggúa was able to meet all of Obi's friends: the rich, the poor, the clean, the dirty, the rights and the hunchbacks, the most unfortunate and fortunate, without any exclusion.
Obi loses his humility.
Time passed and Eleggúa perceived a change in Obi, since he had been entrusted to live at the top of the palm, humility did not reign in him, arrogance and pride had taken hold of Obi.
One day Obi was going to celebrate a party and he entrusted Eleggúa to make the invitations for that feast.
As Eleggúa had already observed Obi's pride and vanity, he made a guest list without excluding the most unfortunate, invited all the beggars of the town, the most needy and destitute.
When Obi saw his house full of so many dirty people, he got upset and asked indignantly who had invited all those mobsters to his big party, and they all replied that Eleggúa had invited them in his name.
Obi insulted them for risking entering his house all raggedy, and rudely told them all to leave. They all left there with great shame and Eleggúa also marched with them.
Eleggúa refuses to serve Obi.
Some time later, one day Olofin sent Eleggúa with a message for Obi, but he replied that he refused to serve someone who was so arrogant.
He then explained to Olofin how much that humble person they met one day had changed, and that he was no longer a friend of all men, he was very conceited, arrogant and did not want to know anything about the poor who suffer on Earth.
Olofin disguises himself as a beggar to confront Obi.
Olofin, to verify what he heard from Eleggúa's mouth, dresses as a beggar and goes to Obi's house.
"I need food and shelter," said Olofin in disguise, hiding his voice.
"How dare you appear in my presence so dirty?" - Obi reprimanded him
Olofin then exclaimed:
–Obi, Obi, Obi ...
Puzzled and very embarrassed, Obi knelt before Olofin and apologized very ashamed for what happened.
Obi receives the punishment.
Olofin then replied:
- I do not recognize you, you were fair, simple and modest, the cleanest man that I had created, that is why your body and your soul are white, just as purity is white.
"Now you are full of arrogance, arrogance and pride."
–Your pride will be punished, Olofin said:
"You will be left with white insides and black on the outside, but now you will roll on the ground as punishment"
–In addition, you will have to serve the Orishas and all men from now on and forever.
This is how the coconut became the most popular of oracles.
In front of Eleggúa the coconut will never tell a lie for fear that he will tell Olofin about him and also put his soul black as his body.
