The Beginning of the Beginning ( From Dependence towards truth ) Chapter 1

 

”Then understand this well.” said the fakir. ”As many doors as you had in your palace, so much of existence was with you. As you decreased the doors so also life diminished within you. Now one door is left – one lone opening to life; close it and shut out life forever. Therefore I say, there is only one flaw.” And he broke into peals of laughter again. ”I too had castles, your majesty,”the fakir continued. ”Then I felt that they were no more than prison-houses. So I began to widen the doors and separate the walls. But I found that no matter how much I widened the doors the walls still remained, so I got out of the walls and came out in the open. Now I stay beneath the open skies and am alive in the perfect sense of the word.”

But have we not all built as many walls around us as we possibly could? The walls that are made of brick and mortar are not that dangerous, for they can be seen. There are other walls – subtle, imperceptible walls.... These are the hard screens – glass screens of concepts, of doctrines, of scriptures. Absolutely invisible!

These walls we have built around our souls for complete security The thicker the walls, the farther it keeps us away from the open skies of Truth. Then the soul becomes restless and struggles; and the more agitated the soul is, the more we strive to strengthen the walls. Then a fear grips us – perhaps this struggle, this restlessness, is due to the walls? The answer is ”Yes.” As long as the soul is confined, it cannot attain bliss. There is no sorrow except in captivity.

And remember, the subjugation forced on you by others, is never more than superficial; it never touches you within. But the subjugation you accept yourself, enters your soul. We have accepted this subjugation over a very long period. Who has told you that you are a Hindu? Who has told you that you are a Muslim? And who asked you to be bound to Gandhi or to Marx? Who asked you to bind yourself? No, no one. You bound yourself with your own hands Who binds you to the Geeta? Who binds you to the Koran? Who ties you to the Bible? Nobody but yourself.

Certain bondages others heap on us, but there are certain others that we take on ourselves. The serfdom of others is very external and is no more than physical, but the slavery we accept of our own free will will tie even our souls in fetters. And so we are all held captives.  

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

How can we set out in quest of truth with a mind in subjugation? A mind in bondage cannot traverse the path and the fettered soul never rises to the skies. More than trees are rooted in the soil, is man rooted with all his seeming mobility. The roots of our soul are deeply imbedded in tradition and society.

I therefore wish to speak on the first rule in the quest for truth, and that is that we should fully perceive our state of bondage. Man is a slave – whose slave? He is a slave to his follies, his ennui, his ignorance and insensibility all his own. Only when this becomes a vivid realization can he take steps to eradicate this slavery.

The most unfortunate slave is he who does not even know that he is a slave. Wretched is the man whoconsiderstheprisonhis home. Heisthe mostconfirmedofslaveswholooksuponhisshackles as ornaments, for then instead of breaking away from them, he is ever eager and watchful to protect them.

I have heard of a magician who used to rear sheep to sell to the slaughter house. He would feed them well and when they were fatted up, he would kill them and sell their flesh. What was more he would hypnotize his flock and make them believe they were lions, so that when the fatlings were killed before them, they were not afraid. They thought: ”Well, these lambs, they are to be killed. We are lions and the question does not arise.”

So every day one lot was killed and the rest remained blissfully unaware of their fate. It was only when their turn came that they realized the truth; but then it was too late. There was no way of escape. If they had pondered a little when they saw the others being killed, perhaps they would have run away. But the poor things had completely forgotten their origin. And when a lamb is under the illusion that it is a lion, it becomes the most Feeble and debilitated specimen of its kind. When someone asked the magician what he had done that his lambs did not run away, he said: ”I have done to them what each man has done to himself. We believe ourselves to be what we are not. I made the lambs believe themselves to be what they are not.”

Each man considers himself to be independent, and this is the biggest of falsehoods. As long as man believes he is a free soul, he will do nothing towards attaining freedom. Therefore it is very necessary to be aware first – that we are not free. And when I say ”we”, I do not refer to my neighbours alone. I include myself.

I am a slave and it is absolutely necessary that I undergo the entire pain and anguish of this slavery. It is necessary to experience all its different dimensions as well as the various directions from which this holds us in thrall. In what shape and manner it rides over us; what the links are that holds us captive – all this must be known. It is impossible to break down this spiritual slavery without being fully acquainted with it.

If a man wants to escape from prison, what would he do? First of all he has to understand and accept that he is a prisoner and that he is in prison. Then he has to know his prison, every nook and corner of it, for then only can he plan his escape. The more familiar he is with the prison house, the easier will be the escape. That is why care is taken that the prisoner does not know the lay-out of the jail. Once he knows, he is dangerous and can break through anytime; for knowledge always liberates.

                                                                                                                                  to be continue...