सुर मंदिर तरु मूल निवासः, शय्या भूतल मजिनं वासः। सर्व परिग्रह भोग त्यागः, कस्य सुखं न करोति विरागः ॥१८ | Sura mandira taru mooola nivasaha Shayya bhootalamajinam vaasaha sarva parigraha bhoga thyagaha kasya sukham nakaroti viraagaha (verse 17) |
In my experience, I found that people relate more to stories that they are already familiar with. So I wish to present a familiar story from a different angle. We all know the story of the princess and the pea. This princess got drenched in the rain and was seeking for shelter in a home. The landlady, inorder to find if she was truly a princess, placed one single pea below a stack of fluffy beds. In the morning the princess thanked the lady for hospitality but mentioned that she couldn't sleep that well because of something that was moving under the mattresses. The lady was relieved to know that indeed she was a princess. Though it seems to have been exaggerated, it is true for many among us. We are so much used to comforts that even the slightest deviation causes disturbances. A day without the laptop and a night without a cot is unthinkable.
The Story of Buddha
No matter how many times it is repeated, the story of Buddha is fascinating and inspiring. The moment Prince Siddhartha(name of Buddha) understood that we all become old one day and die, living in the palace was impossible. He was so thirsty to know the truth that he renounced all riches and led an ascetic life. He slept beneath the trees, ate fruits and lived a life of bare minimum. He developed so much strength in this process that nothing could shake him. Even when Angulimala was running chasing Buddha, Buddha was walking calmly and when the murderous Angulimala shouted "Stop"! Buddha calmly said "I stopped much earlier, Its you who should stop". The ascetic life helped Buddha realize that "nothing" was his. This unshakable conviction, absolute desirelessness saw the birth of a great religion and Philosophy.
In the modern times, many argue that such a life of renunciation may not be necessary and practical. But we are so driven by the motive to gather, gather and gather that at some point renunciation becomes necessary. It can happen at home as much as it can happen in the forest, but the first step needs to be taken in that direction.
Translation: No one can disturb the peace and strength of the one who is willing to sleep under the trees, on bare ground, wearing merely a deer skin, renouncing all sense of possession and craving for enjoyment
In the modern times, many argue that such a life of renunciation may not be necessary and practical. But we are so driven by the motive to gather, gather and gather that at some point renunciation becomes necessary. It can happen at home as much as it can happen in the forest, but the first step needs to be taken in that direction.
Few lines from "A Buddha Seated on a Lotus" by Sarojini Naidu
With futile hands we seek to gain
Our inaccessible desire,
Diviner summits to attain,
With faith that sinks and feet that tire;
But nought shall conquer or control
The heavenward hunger of our soul.
The end, elusive and afar,
Still lures us with its beckoning flight,
And all our mortal moments are
A session of the Infinite.
How shall we reach the great, unknown
Nirvana of thy Lotus-throne?
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