'Freedays' are the 'gather our thoughts' days;
Q&As; a general review of the week so far…
We
have had quite a few posts of late on the matter of saadhana and getting
started on daily discipline so that one might enhance one's spiritual standing.
There have even been hints that 'the sooner the better'!
HH
Pujya Swami Sivananda of Divine Life Society narrates the following parable;
A bird has its nest on the branch of a cotton-tree.
Near the nest there is an unripe fruit. Every day it looks at it and thinks
"let it ripen, then I can eat." The bird waits and waits. One
morning, even as it is watching, the fruit burst and its contents fly away on
the breeze! The bird can catch none of it.
Why
tell this parable here and not on Story-day? It pertains directly to recent
posts here and also to the overall review of all posts of recent weeks;
Gurudev's voice has been stronger, advising the uptake of introspection and
more disciplined thinking. The point of the parable is that, in the rush of the
modern world (which is in fact no different from the rush of any other part of
history - each generation has it's own harried timetable), we are very adept at
putting off until 'the time is ripe' the practices which are going to serve us
best. Saadhana is not the reserve of the retired and ancient in society. It is
a dynamic addition to life, which enlivens our outlook and improves our
condition. Neither is it a fruit which we can 'pluck in full state of ripening'. If we have not played any part in the cultivation of that fruit (as the bird had not), how can we expect to harvest it?
Wait no longer. Crack open the fruit of saadhana now.
Today.
This
minute...