A Story of two friendly birds
At some point in life, one question invariably comes in every mind; and that question is, “what can be the best way to deal with life?” To counter uncertainty of life, should I only accumulate more and more material possessions to safe guard myself? Or renouncement is a better option? Some people will prefer the middle path, may be that can be a better decision. Our ways may differ, but our aim is the same. We all want to be happy peaceful & secured. We may go on experimenting with many different paths; though success is not always guaranteed.
In our ancient scriptures, often we find, difficult questions are answered simply through some attractive stories or through some similes. There is a Upanishadic story of two identical birds, which answers the above mentioned complex question in a simple but in a little mystical way.
The story says; two identical and friendly birds, are sitting on a same tree, one on a higher branch and the other one on a lower branch. The bird on the upper branch, is sitting peacefully, and watching everything around him. He looks calm, non-judgmental, relaxed and happy. But the other bird on a lower branch looks much disturbed. He is busy in eating sweet and sour fruits, which is making him happy and sad by turn.
Though he wanted to have constant joy, but the fluctuation in his emotions made him miserable.
Being exhausted, he looks up. He finds his friend on the upper branch looking relaxed, happy and peaceful. He comes close to him. And a strange thing happens. Being very near to him, he finds lights coming out from his friend’s feathers, are being reflected beautifully in and around his own body; and making him instantly happy, cheerful, and relaxed. With this magical change he finds peace & realizes his inner identity with his friend.
The message of this story is, to find true happiness in life, we must realize our oneness with our creator; from whom we come, by whom we are sustained, and finally who lovingly takes us back on his lap. Temporary activities of impermanent life have some relative value. They serve purpose in two ways. Firstly they satisfy our physical and worldly needs. Secondly, if they are performed with a pure mind, and good intention, then they can help us to evolve towards higher dimension.
Bhagwad Gita says, human beings have two dimensions; one is called para prakriti, which is our higher nature of intelligence & consciousness. This is very powerful & subtle energy. The other is apara prakriti, our lower nature, which connects us to the sensory world. They are inferior, because without support from para prakriti (consciousness & intelligence), they cannot be sustained, they are meaningless. Like body without soul, or matter without spirit have no meaning. All our worldly duties can bring freedom of joy, only when we constantly try to establish our inner connection with our creator through our worldly activities.
We create misery in life, by separating ourselves from our creator. Creator is not separate from his creations; he manifests in various ways through his creations. Being in body consciousness, when we forget our spiritual nature, our oneness with God, and take this impermanent world as the only truth, we feel miserable and make our dear ones miserable too. As Tagore said.
“You lay buried in my heart,
I failed to see you.
I cast my eyes out word,
Did not look within.” (Amar hiar majhe)
This impermanent life, is a play of light and shadow, joys and sorrows. They come and go. Paramahansa Yogananda said, “The inner fountain of our ever joyfull nature, only can make us happy; and which can be found through regular practice of deep meditations”. Many great philosophers, poets, yogi’s expressed the same truth in different ways. Buddha said, Buddha nature is present in all; and anybody can have realize his Buddha hood, by his own sincere efforts. Uttering the truth of Upanishad, Karma yogi Swami Vivekananda said, “Each soul is potentially divine. The goal is to manifest this divinity within by controlling nature external and internal.”
One may ask, in life, we have to work, make a living, and discharge our responsibilities. And when we work, interact with others, opposite feelings (like pain and gain; joys and sorrows) are bound to come up.
Bhagwad Gita says, we should not give up action, but must bring a change in our attitude. Mind must be trained to be stable, free from attachments and aversions. Unless mind is free from these delusions, we can never find truth. We can never be happy in worldly life, or in spiritual life. When work is done with pure intensions & with proper discriminating power, then work is sure to become sublime and will lead us to the path of freedom.
Shri Rama Krishna, beautifully compared life’s activities with a boat, which carry us over to the other shore. The boat can cross the river safely, if there is no hole in it, and water cannot come in. Like that with perfect control over body and mind, one can cross the river of life, and can reach the shore of enlightenment safely. As Yogananda truly said, Roam in the world as a lion of self control, see the frogs of weaknesses do not kick you around.
