| THE LESSER THE BAGGAGE THE BETTER THE | | | | mooing of the starving cow the wise man ran to |
| JOURNEY | | | | his Guru once again to seek his advice. |
| Man Rat Cat Cow ... Nirvana | | | | “Buy some seeds, plant them, tend to the |
| A Short Story | | | | plants and the crop will give food for the cow and |
| By | | | | you,” the Guru said. |
| VIKRAM KARVE | | | | The seeker planted the seeds which yielded food |
| I once heard someone saying "the lesser the | | | | both for the cow and himself. |
| baggage the better the journey" or Less Baggage | | | | However now the man had to spend so much |
| Better Travel. | | | | time tending to his garden, feeding and milking his |
| I think this applies to our journey of life too. | | | | cow, and giving milk to his cat, that he hardly got |
| We seem to carry too much "baggage", all types | | | | any time for meditation. |
| of baggage [ material, emotional, tangible, | | | | He rushed to his Guru who once again had a |
| intangible, the "baggage" of power, wealth, fame, | | | | ready solution, “There is a young woman - a |
| ego, pride... ] and this "baggage" inhibits our | | | | widow – poor thing she is destitute. She will |
| smooth and enjoyable journey through life. | | | | look after everything and you can meditate in |
| Maybe this story is apt at this moment... | | | | peace and attain enlightenment.” |
| A worldly man seeking Nirvana, true | | | | It was indeed a wonderful arrangement – the |
| enlightenment, renounced worldly life, took a strict | | | | young widow looked after everything, the garden, |
| vow of celibacy which was a sine qua non for | | | | cow and cat flourished, and the wise man was |
| attaining enlightenment, and headed for the hills to | | | | undisturbed in his quest for enlightenment. |
| live an ascetic existence of a hermit. | | | | One day it began to snow, the temperature fell |
| He found a secluded cave and began his simple | | | | to sub-zero, and the young widow started to |
| contemplative meditative life surviving on natural | | | | shiver owing to the biting cold. |
| wild vegetation in the forest and began his | | | | Soon she could not bear the bitter cold any |
| journey towards his quest for enlightenment. | | | | longer, so she snuggled into the wise man’s |
| One day he noticed holes in his robe and | | | | bed and tightly embraced him as that was the |
| discovered that there were lots of rats in the | | | | only way for her to keep warm. |
| cave who were chewing off his robes. | | | | Who can resist the tight embrace of an attractive |
| The rats soon were nibbling at his toes disturbing | | | | woman in the prime of her life? |
| his meditation. | | | | The vow of celibacy lay shattered and there |
| Perplexed, he went down to town and consulted | | | | ended the wise man’s quest for |
| his Guru who said, “No problem. It’s | | | | enlightenment. |
| simple. Get a cat.” | | | | And with all his new possessions [the cat, the |
| “A cat?” asked the seeker perplexed. | | | | cow, and the woman], the seeker returned back |
| “The cat will take care of the rats,” the | | | | to the material world and began to live a worldly |
| Guru said. | | | | life from where he had began his journey |
| So our wise man bought a cat and took it up to | | | | towards enlightenment to attain Nirvana. |
| his cave. | | | | The "wise" man was back to square one, much |
| The cat took care of the rats and the wise man | | | | "wiser"! |
| was undisturbed in his quest for enlightenment. | | | | Dear Reader, |
| A few days later the cat had eaten up all the | | | | Read the story again, close your eyes and reflect |
| rats, and famished, the cat started moaning with | | | | on it. |
| hunger. | | | | Carry the story around in your mind all day and |
| The constant moaning and crying of the cat again | | | | allow its fragrance, its melody to haunt you. |
| disturbed the wise man’s meditation so the | | | | Create a silence within you and let the story |
| seeker again rushed to consult his Guru. | | | | reveal to you its inner depth and meaning. Let it |
| “Get a cow,” the Guru advised the | | | | speak to your heart, not to your brain, and |
| seeker. | | | | suddenly you will feel a sense of mystical |
| “A cow?” the seeker exclaimed in | | | | epiphany when you realize the wisdom of the |
| astonishment. | | | | story. |
| “Yes. The cow will yield milk with which you | | | | Now you are ready to apply the wisdom to your |
| can feed your cat and satiate its hunger,” the | | | | own life and experience the inner meaning of the |
| Guru said. | | | | story till it transforms you and puts you on the |
| Now the seeker would spend some time milking | | | | path to enlightenment. |
| the cow, feeding the cat and then settle down | | | | Dear Reader, do you agree: The lesser the |
| for his meditation. | | | | "Baggage" you carry, the better and happier will |
| A few days later the cow stopped giving milk and | | | | be your "Journey"... |
| mooed loudly. | | | | So get rid of all your excess "baggage" and enjoy |
| The cat too had started moaning again and | | | | your life's journey... |
| disturbed by the moaning of the hungry cat and | | | | |