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Thursday, December 15, 2011

The lion and you







The following is my re-telling of a parable from the second volume of the Masnavi of Maulana Rumi. 
Think of Jesus whom God gave the gift of reviving the dead, and know it that your soul can also bring back those who have departed from the world. Once upon a time, you will come across a carcass rotting in the wilderness, and you may ask your soul to revive it.

“O God, what’s the matter with this person!” Your soul will say about you. “This person is worse than a corpse, but doesn’t want to be revived and is so much concerned about the corpse of a stranger!”

Well, this is how destiny works: you choose it. Therefore, please do not be too pleased with this story just yet: my wisdom might be the very corpse which you are trying to resurrect at the cost of your own!

Yes, your soul will revive that carcass, which will turn out to be that of a ferocious lion. It will kill you on the spot but it will not eat you.

“Why did you do this?” Your soul may ask the lion, and the lion will reply: “This is a punishment for those who irritate their souls with their foolishness.”

“Why didn’t you eat this prey?” Your soul may ask, and the lion will reply: “I wouldn’t have died in the first place if there were any more food in my destiny.”

My dear child, the lion who will kill even when he isn’t going to eat the prey will be a mere reflection of yourself if you go around acquiring knowledge which you do not need. The Sufi’s book is not composed of ink and letters: it is not but a heart white as snow. The scholar’s possession is pen-marks. What is the Sufi’s possession? Foot-marks!

6 comments:

  1. "Well, this is how destiny works: you choose it. Therefore, please do not be too pleased with this story just yet: my wisdom might be the very corpse which you are trying to resurrect at the cost of your own!"

    Loved it!

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  2. After so much effort, I got it at last!!! :/

    The confusion was between corpses.

    For others:

    -Soul (which is in my control according to this post, but I am more interested using my soul to revive the "Actual Corpse")
    -I (which according to my soul, is worse than a corpse, a dead person)
    -Actual Corpse (carcass/ferocious lion)

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  3. i think im yet not that intellectual to comprehend this piece of writing but i would love to read this again and again until i can create an understanding of it

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  4. I think when man acquires knowledge that he doesn't need,is the same as reviving a rotten carcass that doesn't need to be revived.What should happen is Man should use his knowledge to educate his fellow men.Just as the Sufi uses his knowledge by going around to enlighten others.

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  5. Greetings,

    Thank you so much for sharing this story. It speaks.

    All good wishes,

    robert

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  6. point drives to home so nicely. thank you Sir for the lesson and the warning. :)

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