Tag: parable

The Two Paths

Kartikeya-and-Ganesha

I have found there is no single path for personal spiritual growth. Take in qualities and ideas from All around you. Close yourself to nothing and above all be honest with yourself and others.

I recently enjoyed a Hindu myth illustrating this. For Hindus and Buddhists, Ganesha removes obstacles. When you view the world as myth and symbol, ancient mythologies can tell you about about yourself and give you hints to live your life as the Fool.

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Lord Shiva and Ma Parvati had two sons, Ganesha and Kartikeya. Both the sons were equally dear to them. Once it happened that the Devas gave one divine fruit to Shiva and one to Parvati and told them that it is a special fruit. Whoever will eat it, will learn the supreme knowledge of the Universe and gain immortality.

Both the sons wanted to eat it of course. This lead to an argument between them. To pacify the situation, Shiva told them that whoever will circle the world three times and come back first will get the fruit. Now Kartikeya also known as Murugan or Skanda or Subrahmanya is the god of war and he is also the commander in chief of the Devas’ army. He flies a peacock. (Like to try that one day) Being the God of War, Lord Kartikeya took this challenge very seriously and started his journey around the world immediately without wasting anytime in thinking.

On other hand, Ganesha who is God of Wisdom, learning, arts and removal of obstacles knew very well that he is no match for Kartikeya in this race. One of the names of Ganesha is ‘lambodara’ which means the ‘huge bellied lord’. Lord Ganesha’s vehicle is a mouse. So Ganesha knew that with this huge belly and slow moving mouse he cannot defeat his elder brother Kartikeya.

Ganesha loved his parents very much. What you love becomes the center of your life and your life energy goes into it. So Ganesha applied his intelligence and started circling his parents three times. Shiva and Parvati asked him, “What you are doing?”

Ganesha replied , “For me, you are my whole world.” Moreover within you is the whole universe. So I am circling the world. Ganesha’s argument was right because he meant it with all his heart. He was not using any logic to win the race. Ganesha really loved his parents.

Ask any small baby, for the baby his/her entire universe is his mother. So for Ganesha, his world revolved around his parents and the other world to which Kartikeya was circling was superficial to him.

Lord Shiva and Ma Parvati were pleased Ganesha’s argument. So Ganesha got the blessing of his parents and won the Divine fruit.

The Parable of the Three Men

Three men fall into a river after the bridge they were walking on collapsed. You guessed it, a Buddhist, a Zen Practitioner, and a Taoist.

Floating down the river, the Buddhist looks about him and decides through much effort to swim to the shore and leave the river. Ignoring the discomfort of his situation (cold water, burning muscles, etc.) he swims to shore and watches the other two float away, content that he finally made it out of his nasty predicament.

The Zen Practitioner looks about him and decides that he is in the river now, and if he waits, he will eventually drift to shore where he can leave the river. He learns to embrace the cold and ignore the fear of rocks and rapids, and eventually he comes to a stop and climbs out, happy in the knowledge that he has escaped the river and all its peril.

The Taoist looks about him and decides that since the bridge he was walking on collapsed, he is now floating in a river, naturally… So he decides to wait and see what will happen next, confident that whatever happens is part of the natural process of the Tao.

P.S. Did you know you can change the dimension you live in? It is all about the dimensions you let yourself exist in. Truth be told, you are limitless across an infinite number of dimensions. Let yourself flow into that reality.

Image – MD – Seeking Center