Likes and dislikes are but fancies of the moment; the mind wavers, flits from one thing to another. One has to realise this and be steady, adhering to the good and avoiding the injurious, says Bhagawan narrating a beautiful story from the life of Mughal Emperor Akbar.
The Emperor of Delhi, the famous Akbar, was melancholy and
depressed. His Empire was prosperous and safe from enemies, both
internal and external. The cause of his sadness lay elsewhere. It was
the food he ate every day. Of course he had himself shown the
preference; the cooks, or Birbal, the Superintendent of the Imperial
Kitchen, were not to blame. Nevertheless, he had developed a disgust for
meat, for, it was meat, meat, meat—morning noon, evening and night.
So, he called into the Presence, Birbal and commanded that the menu
be soon changed. And, the command was obeyed. Birbal racked his brains
for a long while and decided on brinjals for a change. He procured
baskets of brinjals, fresh and fine.
He got prepared chutney salad, soup, cutlet, sweet, savoury
bitter—all from brinjal. Akbar relished every item; he praised Birbal
to the skies. It was brinjal breakfast, brinjal lunch, brinjal dinner.
Thus it went on merrily for a few days— but, for a few days only!
Akbar grew disgusted with brinjals, too. He poured all his wrath on
Birbal. And, Birbal had to switch on to something else.
For, likes and
dislikes are but fancies of the moment; the mind wavers, flits from one
thing to another. One has to realise this and be steady, adhering to the
good and avoiding the injurious. Establish Mastery over the Mind; or,
the Mind will ride you into, ruin. The Mind is a bundle of Desires. Give
up Desire; the mind disappears.
(Story from The Prashanti Reporter)
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