॥ ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय ॥
***
The Python
The Avadhuta continued.
"Oh, King, pleasures and sorrows here and in heaven and hell are the experience of the living entity who suffers them helplessly. So a person of intelligent discrimination does not make any endeavour seeking such pleasures. A python stays put, not going after food. He stays hungry for long, until the food comes his way, whether such food be delicious or tasteless, ample or meagre. Thus, following the example of the python, man should remain peaceful and patient.
A saintly person would possibly have great mental and physical strength and abilities. But he should engage himself in goal-seeking activities to the minimum, just to keep the body and soul together, always contemplating upon his final self-interest, i.e., liberation.
The Ocean
The ocean is fed by rivers, copiously during the rainy season and meagrely during the months of no rainfall. But the ocean remains unagitated, and does not swell up in distress or demand. A saintly person should thus be tranquil like the mighty ocean. Because his knowledge is immeasurable and unlimited he is never disturbed
The Moth
One who has failed to control his senses immediately feels attraction upon seeing a woman’s form, which is created by the illusory energy, Maya Shakti, of the Supreme Lord. Indeed, when the woman speaks with enticing words, smiles coquettishly and moves her body sensuously, his mind is immediately captured, and thus he falls blindly into the darkness of material existence, just as the moth maddened by the fire rushes blindly into its flames. Being eager for sense-gratification with a woman of enticement, such a fool loses all intelligence and is destroyed like a moth rushing into the blazing fire.
The Honeybee
A saintly person should accept only enough food to keep his body and soul together. He should go from door to door, accepting just a little bit of food from each family. Thus he should practice the occupation of the honeybee.
In addition, just as the honeybee takes nectar from all flowers, big and small, an intelligent human being should take the essence from all religious scriptures, without dogmatic prejudices.
There is also a negative in case of the honeybee. He collects nectar greedily. A saintly person should literally live hand-to-mouth and never hoard food for the morrow. A saintly person would not eat a second time in the day.
The Elephant
An elephant is captured when he goes after the she-elephant used to tempt him. This is a lesson for the saintly person who should avoid contact with a young woman at all costs. If you see, an elephant engages in battle to death with other males going after the same she-elephant. The saint should learn from such foolhardy efforts of the elephant.
Coming back to the honeybee, have you noticed that all the honey he collects is finally taken away, often destroying his life itself by honey-gatherers? This is the fate of the greedy man who hoards wealth, miserly in spending and lacking in charity. He will only die and leave his money behind. Otherwise expert thieves will get at his wealth.
Better that a man gives away in charity to Brahmacharins and mendicants.
The Deer
A saintly person dwelling in the forest in the renounced order of life should never listen to songs or music promoting material enjoyment. Rather, a saintly person should carefully study the example of the deer, who is bewildered by the sweet music of the hunter’s horn and is thus captured and killed. Becoming attracted to the worldly singing, dancing and musical entertainment of beautiful women, even the great sage Rishyashringa (the son of a deer given by a Rishi) fell totally under their control, just like a pet animal.
The Fish
Just as a fish, incited by the attraction of tasty baits, is fatally trapped on the fisherman’s hook, similarly, a foolish person is bewildered by the extremely disturbing urges of the tongue and thus is ruined. By fasting, learned men quickly bring all of the senses except the tongue under control. By abstaining from eating, such men are afflicted with an increased desire to gratify the sense of taste and succumb when the occasion arises. Although one may conquer all of the other senses, as long as the tongue is not conquered it cannot be said that one has controlled his senses. However, if one is able to control the tongue, then one is understood to be in full control of all the senses.
Pingala the Prostitute
Once in the city of Videha, there dwelled a prostitute named Pingala. Now please hear what I have learned from that lady. Once that prostitute, desiring to bring a lover into her house, stood outside in the doorway at night showing her beautiful form. King, this prostitute was very anxious to get money, and as she stood on the street at night, she studied all the men who were passing by, thinking, “Oh, this one surely has money. I know he can pay the price, and I am sure he would enjoy my company very much.” Thus she thought about all the men on the street.
As Pingala stood in the doorway, many men came and went, walking past her house. Her only means of sustenance was prostitution, and therefore she anxiously thought, “Maybe this one who is coming now is very rich… Oh, he is not stopping! But I am sure someone else will come. Surely this man who is coming now will want to pay me for my love, and he will probably give lots of money.”
Thus, with vain hope, she remained leaning against the doorway, unable to finish her business and go to sleep. Out of anxiety, she would sometimes walk out toward the street, and sometimes she went back into her house. In this way, the midnight hour gradually arrived.
As the night wore on, the prostitute, who intensely desired money, gradually became morose, and her face dried up. Thus being filled with anxiety for money and great disappointment, she began to feel a great detachment from her situation, and happiness arose in her mind.
Now the prostitute felt disgusted with her material situation and thus became indifferent to it. Indeed, detachment acts like a sword, cutting to pieces the binding network of material hopes and desires. Pingala sang to herself a telling song, bemoaning her condition. A person who has not developed detachment never desires to give up the bondage of the material body.
Pingala said: Just see how greatly illusioned I am! Because I cannot control my mind, just like a fool I desire lusty pleasure from an insignificant man. I am such a fool that I have given up the service of that person who, being eternally situated within my heart, is actually most dear to me. That most dear one is the Lord of the universe, who is the bestower of real love and happiness and the source of all prosperity. Although He is in my own heart, I have completely neglected Him. Instead, I have ignorantly served insignificant men who can never satisfy my real desires and who have simply brought me unhappiness, fear, anxiety, lamentation and illusion.
Oh, how I have uselessly tortured my own soul! I have sold my body to lusty, greedy men who are themselves objects of pity. Thus practising the most abominable profession of a prostitute, I hoped to get money and sexual pleasure.
This material body is like a house in which I, the soul, am living. The bones forming my spine, ribs, arms and legs are like the beams, crossbeams and pillars of the house, and the whole structure, which is full of stool and urine, is covered by skin, hair and nails. The nine doors leading into this body are constantly excreting foul substances. Besides me, what woman would be so foolish as to devote herself to this material body, thinking that she might find pleasure and love in this contraption?
Certainly in this city of Videha I alone am completely foolish. I neglected Bhagavan, who awards us everything, even our original spiritual form ie.e. the Atma, and instead, I desired to enjoy sense gratification with many men.
Better that I surrender to Bhagavan, and pay the full price for His divine, constant, blissful company, and emulate Lakshmi Devi! (तं विक्रीयात्मनैवाहं रमेऽनेन यथा रमा )
What a poor choice are ordinary men, themselves mortal, unable to fulfil the desires of any woman for long!
Ha! The fact that detachment has arisen in me shows that Bhagavan (भगवान् प्रीतो विष्णु:) has been pleased by some Karma I did in the past!
Indeed, suffering gives rise to detachment. Thus, owing to my great suffering, such detachment awoke in my heart; yet how could I have undergone so much suffering if I were actually unfortunate? Therefore, I am in fact fortunate and have received the mercy of the Lord. He must somehow or other be pleased with me!
Having given up my sinful desires for ordinary sense gratification, I now take shelter in Him, Bhagavan. I have full faith in His mercy and shall maintain myself with whatever comes of its own accord. I shall enjoy life with only the Lord because He is the real source of love and happiness.
Fallen into the well of the pursuit of sense gratification, one is seized by the serpent of Kaala or Time, Only the Lord can save one from such a condition!
Thus, the fortunate Pingala now completely cut off her desire to enjoy so-called lovers, and very happily went to sleep.
***
