The creation of God is uniquely beautiful. The vivid colors, the fragrances, taste, sounds, touch- all beckon to us. The eyes seek beauty and clarity everywhere. The refreshing blue of the skies, the lush green grass, the vibrancy of the brilliantly hued flowers, the sea of ripening wheat in the fields, the white of the cotton buds, the rich redness of the poppy flowers – multitude of colors beckon and enchant our eyes from all directions. The hands wish to forever touch different textures – the softness of the flower petals, the crispness of bark, the feathery touch of grass, the feel of the cool breeze on the face, the kiss of the child, the hug of the partner and the touch of blessings of the parent. The taste of cool water on the tongue, the sweetness of the ripe mango, the burn of the green chillies, the tang of lemons, the milk sweets made by mother – even the memories of them bring saliva in our mouths and we yearn to eat them.
Our mind is pulled in all directions by the five senses and we wallow in the sensations and specialties of each sense. Our mind builds up reactions and judgement. New desires are born in us with each experience of the five senses. We are caught in the center and pulled in all directions by ropes of steel, of thousands of desires. It is easy to imagine a scene from a movie where the hero is pulled in two directions by ropes tied to horses and imagine how excruciatingly painful it would be for him. How much more pain we create for ourselves when we attach desires to the sense organ reactions and attachments and are pulled by hundreds of such horses in different directions at the same time? Our mind is always restless as we allow ourselves to react to all sensations around us. Our attention is never focused but leaps around every second. How then do we calm our mind? This little episode about the elephant and the fly as narrated by the Guru to his disciple teaches us how to do it:
A disciple was walking through a forest with his Guru. His mind was always restless and he was disturbed by this fact. He asked his Guru: I see only a few people with calm mind. Most people are trouble by a restless mind. How can we still our mind? The Guru smiled and told him a story:
An elephant was picking leaves from a tree and eating them. A small fly came and buzzed constantly near his ear. The elephant flapped his large ears and waved it away. The fly came back again and again the elephant pushed it off. This happened a few more times. Then the elephant asked the fly: Why are you so noisy and restless? Why can’t you stay still in one place for some time?
The fly replied: I am pulled by whatever I see, hear, smell, touch or taste. Everything that happens around me keeps pulling me constantly in all directions and I cannot resist them. You tell me your secret. How can you stay so calm and still?
The elephant stopped eating and said: My attention is not ruled by my five senses. I can direct my attention wherever I want. I am focused on what I do. So my mind is calm. When I eat, I am totally focused on eating, enjoy the taste and texture of the leaves and I relish my food. I control my attention and my attention does not control me. So I am peaceful.
On hearing the words of the Guru, the disciple became alert and a smile appeared on his face. He understood the message.
When we disregard the pull of the sense impressions and direct our attention at will, our mind will be calm and focussed. We should consciously control the pull of the five senses. Else we will end up like the fly which sits on the perfume flowers and also the rotting flesh. Let us learn to control our attention and over the restlessness of our mind. Let us be regular in the SitaRam mantra japa, meditation and following the teachings of the Guru. This will give our will power a boost and we can focus our attention in the right places so that we can attain our goal of peaceful life and realizing God.
